Victoria Disappointment helicopter crash Linda Woodford dies

A livestock technology entrepreneur whose company was ‘transforming’ meat processing has been named as one of the five victims in Victoria’s Mt Disappointment helicopter crash. 

Linda Woodford, the 50-year-old founder and chief executive of AXIchain, was killed in the Thursday morning chopper tragedy in a state forest north-east of Melbourne. 

Her last Facebook post had the chilling message with a wink emoji: ‘The transport to work today … a little different.’ 

She had been the Melbourne-based chief executive of AXIchain since 2018 and for the past decade had also been the director of Kaizen Consulting, a blockchain technology company.

In another twist, her family was already dealing with the loss of her sister-in-law shortly before this tragedy. 

Her last Facebook post had the chilling message with a wink emoji: ‘The transport to work today … a little different

Her friend Martin Gibson posted a tribute to her, alongside the haunting social media post put up shortly before the crash.

‘Yesterday my lovely friend of 25 years Linda Woodford posted pics of her taking a helicopter to work from downtown Melbourne,’ he said.

‘It was yet another proud moment for me, having watched her build a fantastic, innovative and world-leading blockchain company. 

‘Her success came after relentless work and picking herself up after many failures.

‘Sadly her flight ended in a crash into Mount Disappointment in Victoria, and it claimed the lives of all five people on board, including Linda’s.’

Mr Gibson remembered has a ‘beautiful, fun-loving and genuinely compassionate soul’.

‘Such a loss, and such a shame for this to happen just as all her hard work was really paying off, and as her family are still dealing with the loss of her sister-in-law, whose children she had treated like her own,’ he said.

‘She packed a lot into her half century, and she’ll leave a big hole in so many people’s lives, including mine.’

Her friend Martin Gibson posted a tribute to her, alongside the haunting social media post put up shortly before the crash

Mr Gibson remembered has a ‘beautiful, fun-loving and genuinely compassionate soul’

The pilot involved in a devastating helicopter crash has been remembered as ‘remarkable’ and ‘highly respected’.

Dean Neal, 32, had four passengers on board, including Radfords Abattoir chairman Paul Troja, in his care.  

All five were killed in the tragedy.

Mr Neal was a ‘conscientious, professional pilot [who] always put the safety and wellbeing of his passengers in the highest of his priorities’, his devastated family said in a statement on Friday afternoon. 

‘Our broken hearts go to the family’s and friends of those who were flying with him,’ they said.

 Dean Neal, 32, had four passengers on board, including Radfords Abattoir chairman Paul Troja, in his care

 Mr Neal was a ‘conscientious, professional pilot [who] always put the safety and wellbeing of his passengers in the highest of his priorities’, his devastated family said in a statement on Friday afternoon

‘Your unspeakable loss is understood by us all. We know Dean would have done anything in his power to deliver his passengers safely to their destination.’ 

Mr Neal was working for Microflite Helicopter Services, a family-owned business based in Victoria that offers private flights and premium tours.  

Microflite executive general manager Rod Higgins said in a statement the pilot was ‘highly respected’.

‘The service had been travelling as part of a two-aircraft charter when it lost communication with the second aircraft just after 8am,’ he said.

He flew everywhere from Uluru in the Northern Territory to Hamilton Island in Queensland and has been a qualified pilot since 2016.

Mr Neal was trained to provide specialist bushfire support from the skies and patrolled beaches on behalf of Surf Life Saving Victoria.

He also flew news crews covering some of the nation’s biggest stories.  

Paul Troja, who is the chairman of Radfords Abattoir in Warragul, was also killed when the helicopter crashed. 

Paul Troja, who is the chairman of Radfords Abattoir in Warragul, was killed when the helicopter he was riding in crashed at Mt Disappointment on Thursday

Mr Neal was trained to provide specialist bushfire support from the skies and patrolled beaches on behalf of Surf Life Saving Victoria

Mr Neal was working for Microflite Helicopter Services, a family-owned business based in Victoria that offers private flights and premium tours

The 73-year-old Albert Park man was well known within the agricultural industry. Radfords is a family owned business operating out of the West Gippsland region.

Mr Troja and three others were viewing an agricultural property in Ulupna on the Victorian border when their helicopter crashed, killing them all, The Herald Sun reported. 

An Inverloch woman, 50 and two men from New South Wales, aged 59 and 70, have not yet been publicly identified. 

Avlaw Aviation consulting managing director Ron Bartsch said it was still too soon to determine the actual cause of the crash. 

Mr Bartsch said the helicopter flight operator Microflite had a near perfect safety record and there was only one possible explanation for the crash.

‘The aircraft is a very common type of aircraft,’ he told Channel Nine’s Today on Friday. ‘Six passenger aircraft, very reliable. 

Avlaw Aviation consulting managing director Ron Bartsch said it was still too soon to determine the actual cause of the crash at Mount Disappointment on Thursday

A pilot and their four passengers, believed to be meat farmers, died after the aircraft crashed near the popular picnic grounds at Blair’s Hut

‘The company indeed has a very good safety record and is very well managed with new aircraft.

‘Really at this stage, without speculating, weather is probably the main consideration at this stage.’  

Mount Disappointment recorded a high of 21C and winds of up to 36km/h. 

Controlled forestry burns were being carried out in the area while there was also low cloud coverage throughout the day.

Mr Bartsch warned ‘it may be some time’ before investigators determined the exact cause of the crash.  

‘Unlike larger air transport aircraft, these aircrafts are not always fitted with blackboxes, flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder,’ he said.

‘I know the Australian Transport Safety Bureau is on the scene. Normally they will hand down a preliminary report in six to seven weeks.’ 

The helicopter was one of two that left the Melbourne City Helipad on Thursday morning, flying in convoy over Mount Disappointment.

Ambulance Victoria received a report of an incident at 9.35am that morning.

Mr Bartsch said the other pilot was the best hope of understanding what happened to the doomed helicopter. 

A police helicopter and air ambulance were sent to search for the missing chopper but the terrain hampered their efforts until 11.45am on Thursday when the wreckage was finally located. 

Mr Bartsch warned ‘it may be some time’ before investigators determined the exact cause of the crash (pictured, a tree split in half near the crash site)

A police helicopter, five Country Fire Authority vehicles and paramedics, including the air ambulance, were dispatched to the area on Thursday

Mr Higgins said the incident was reported to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority as per industry protocols. 

‘We will work with the relevant authorities to conduct a comprehensive investigation into this incident,’ he said.   

The helicopter had picked up the meat farmers from Melbourne City Helipad before reportedly heading north to purchase cattle.  

The second helicopter returned to Morrabbin Airport safely with all onboard accounted for and uninjured. 

Smoke (pictured) from controlled forestry burns in the area and low cloud cover hampered initial search efforts on Thursday

Five Country Fire Authority vehicles, police and paramedics, including the air ambulance, were on scene at the crash site of the downed helicopter on Thursday.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is also investigating and has sent a team from its Canberra and Melbourne offices with expertise in helicopter operations and maintenance, and aerospace engineering, to the site.

The experts will inspect the wreckage and site surrounds before retrieving any relevant components to take them to Canberra for further examination.

The ATSB will also analyse any recorded data and conduct interviews with those who have knowledge of the flight.

A preliminary report from the watchdog is expected in about six to eight weeks.