Pilot Says He Escaped Serious Injury by Jumping Into the Ocean When a New Zealand Volcano Erupted

Pilot Brian Depauw reacts in the witness box at the Whakaari White Island eruption trial at the Auckland Environment Court, in Auckland, New Zealand, on July 13, 2023. Nick Monro/Pool Photo via AP

CANBERRA, Australia—A helicopter pilot said in court on Thursday he and two of his passengers had escaped serious injury by jumping into the ocean when a New Zealand volcano erupted in 2019, killing 22.

Another two of pilot Brian Depauw’s joy flight passengers did not make it to the water, were engulfed by a cloud of hot ash from the White Island eruption, and suffered serious burns.