Helicopter pilot Lachie Onslow has escaped without serious injury after his helicopter crashed into a dam while fighting fires on the Far South Coast.
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The owner of Fleet Helicopters in Armidale had contracted his well-known pink helicopter Lucy to help the NSW Rural Fire Service battle the Clyde Mountain fire.
The 47-year-old was flying the helicopter when it lost power while refilling with water and ditched into Ben Boyd Dam near Boydtown on Thursday afternoon.
Mr Onslow was able to free himself from the helicopter and make it safely onshore.
Ambulance NSW responded to the incident, but Mr Onslow managed to escape without serious injury.
The pilot was treated by paramedics for shoulder, back and ankle injuries and taken to the South East Regional Hospital in a stable condition.
Mr Onslow will return to Armidale in the next couple of days.
A spokesperson from Bega Valley Shire Council said the Australian Defence Force was organising the retrieval of the helicopter, with a joint operation to retrieve the craft completed on Monday.
"Booms are in place to limit the potential spread of contamination," they said.
"Once the helicopter is retrieved council can do assessments of the water in the dam."
An RFS New England Aviation Brigade spokesperson said the event was a sobering reminder of the dangers faced by brave pilots on a daily basis.
"It is with both sadness and relief that I can confirm that the helicopter that crashed this afternoon was Lucy VH-ONZ belonging to Fleet Helicopters based here in Armidale," the spokesperson said.
Police officers are investigating the incident.
HAZMAT crews confirmed no fuel or oil had leaked from the helicopter about 7pm on Thursday.
On Monday morning, council shared images of the helicopter successfully retrieved from the Dam after a joint salvage operation by Navy, Army and HAZMAT personnel.
Bega Valley Shire Council said Navy divers had been able to float the chopper known as "Lucy" from the western end of dam where it had lain submerged upside down.
Council remained hopeful that no fuel or oil had leaked during the salvage, but said it would conduct water testing before allowing any access to water from the dam.
Generators to power the Ben Boyd pumping station were turned off immediately after the crash and Eden's water has been supplied by the Kiah Bore Field since the accident on Thursday.
A Boil Water Alert for the Eden and Boydtown was lifted at 4pm on Monday.
