Thus, Hammond and his show partner Jeremy Clarkson were extremely lucky to emerge uninjured after the helicopter they were in was hit by a seagull just after take-off on Friday, The Daily Mail found out. The helicopter was flying at 400 ft over Auckland Harbour in New Zealand when a seagull crashed into the rotor blade.
Consequently, the pilot had to make an emergency landing at a nearby helipad in the French-built Squirrel helicopter. We don't know about the seagull, but as far as the three members of the helicopter are concerned, no one was hurt.
“After the drama they were all smiles,” the pilot Andy McKay said.
The two presenters are now on tour with a live Top Gear stage show.
The incident comes two years after Richard Hammond fought for his life after a 288 mph crash during filming in September 2006. At that time, Hammond was taken to hospital after his Vampire jet-powered dragster spun out of control when a tyre burst during a daredevil stunt.
The recovery was extremely difficult and even two years after the accident, Hammond has still fear of heights. “I damaged all the complicated bits of the brain to do with processing and emotional control. I was prey to every single emotion that swept over me and I couldn't deal with it,” Hammond commented on the terrible accident.
We truly hope this unfortunate event didn't add to his fear of heights and that he will go on with his promise to host Top Gear from outer space. As we have already told you, the motoring show's hosts intend to present even more amazing stunts to the public from the outer space by the end of next year.
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