Chopper in fatal NSW crash had risky tanks

A HELICOPTER that burst into flames when it crashed south of Sydney, killing four people, was fitted with older-style fuel tanks known to pose a fire hazard.

The victims of the fiery crash at Bulli Tops on Thursday are all believed to have been former CSIRO employees who were trying to land near Panorama House, a popular restaurant and wedding venue.

The Robinson R44 light helicopter clipped a tree about 12.10pm (AEDT) before crashing and igniting.

Staff ran out with fire extinguishers but were repelled by the heat of the blaze.

They were unable to save the pilot and three passengers.

A NSW Police spokeswoman said on Friday the deceased had not yet been formally identified, but AAP understands all four were former CSIRO workers.

Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigators arrived at the crash site late on Thursday and are expected to remain there for days.

The ATSB has confirmed the helicopter involved in the accident was still fitted with dangerous all-aluminium fuel tanks, years after helicopter operators were warned to upgrade them.

"The ATSB has highlighted how all-aluminium fuel tanks have proven susceptible to post-accident fuel leaks, increasing the risk of a potentially fatal post-impact fire when colliding with the ground," it said on its website on Friday.

The manufacturer and the ATSB have previously recommended that the fuel tanks on R44s be replaced with safer bladder-type tanks.

The ATSB said manufacturer's figures showed 4000 R44s had been built with the all-aluminium tanks but only 1700 retrofit kits had gone out so far.

A service bulletin issued by the manufacturer in 2010 told operators the retro-fitting needed to be carried out "as soon as practical, but no later than 30 April 2013".

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Chopper jailbreak an epic fail

A HELICOPTER has swooped on a prison courtyard as armed men on board fired at guards and lowered a rope to help a convicted killer make his fourth attempt to escape from a Greek prison.

But the plot was foiled when the prisoner was shot and the chopper was forced to land in the prison's car park.

The dramatic escape attempt is one of only a few that have involved helicopters in Greece and the first time such plans have failed.

Authorities say the chartered helicopter - carrying two armed passengers, a pilot and a technician - first tried to rip off the chicken-wire fence surrounding Trikala prison with a hook dangling from a rope.

When that didn't work, a rope was lowered to whisk away Panagiotis Vlastos, a convicted murderer and racketeer.

Another prisoner, an unnamed Albanian national also in the courtyard at the time, may also have been part of the escape plan.

At the same time, the armed passengers used AK-47 assault rifles to fire on the prison guards.

One guard, who was inside a post, was slightly injured by shards of flying glass. He and others returned fire, injuring Vlastos, who had managed to climb into the helicopter, as well as the helicopter's technician.

Vlastos fell from a height of about three metres into the courtyard and the helicopter was eventually grounded in the car park.

Vlastos, 43, who is serving a life sentence had tried and failed three times before to escape from jail.

Prison officials told TV stations Mega and NET that they recovered more than 500 bullets fired from the helicopter.

The Ministry of Justice added that the helicopter passengers also carried but did not use, "improvised explosive devices."

Authorities said Vlastos was wounded in the legs and is being treated in the prison hospital.

The technician suffered a minor hand injury.

It was not immediately clear if the pilot and flight technician had willingly taken part in the escape attempt or had been forced to fly to the prison, which is located 328km northwest of Athens.

It was also unclear whether the second would-be escapee was part of the scheme or just happened to be in the courtyard and tried to take advantage of the situation.

The helicopter was hired from a western Athens suburb and was supposed to fly to Thessaloniki, in northern Greece. However, it deviated from its flight path to head to the prison.

This is the third time a helicopter has been used in an attempted prison escape in Greece.

Convicted criminals Vassilis Paleokostas and Alket Rizaj were whisked by helicopter from the high-security Korydallos prison in Athens in June 2006.

They were caught but escaped for a second time - again using a helicopter - in February 2009. Paleokostas is still at large.

Vlastos was first arrested in 1994 over the murder of two members of a rival criminal gang.

He was convicted last year as the behind-the-bars mastermind of the kidnapping of shipping tycoon Pericles Panagopoulos. Panagopoulos was kidnapped in January 2009 and released after eight days, when a ransom of 30 million euros ($A38.7 million) was paid.

While awaiting trial for the kidnapping, Vlastos tried to escape in December 2011 from Korydallos prison along with three members of armed anarchist group Conspiracy Nuclei of Fire.

The four used a pistol and knives to take hostage three prison guards and 25 visiting relatives of other prisoners. The four surrendered to authorities after a five-hour stand-off.

Vlastos had also tried to escape, unsuccessfully, in 1994 and 1998.

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