VIDEO: Helicopter Crashes While Installing A Christmas Tree

NPR | By Eyder Peralta

Published November 23, 2011 at 3:53 PM EST

Firefighters spray foam at the scene where a helicopter crashed while installing a large Christmas Tree at the Viaduct Harbour in Auckland, New Zealand.

We're not trying to terrify you before your long holiday weekend, with another tale of holiday accidents, but we had to pass along this video, which also has an implied holiday lesson: When you use a helicopter to put up a Christmas tree, make sure its propellers steer clear of obstacles.

That's not what happened in Auckland, New Zealand, yesterday, when a helicopter was installing the base of the seven-story Telecom Christmas Tree:

Now, we'd argue it also brings a separate, happier message for this Thanksgiving weekend: The pilot walked away with minor injuries and the incident did not hurt anyone on the ground.

Eyder Peralta

Eyder Peralta is an international correspondent for NPR. He was named NPR's Mexico City correspondent in 2022.

See stories by Eyder Peralta

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