Helicopter Company Returns $1,000 To Father Who Paid Them To Find His Missing Son

January 19, 2018

The helicopter company involved in finding a missing teenager has returned the money the father paid to launch a desperate search for his missing son.

Early Monday morning, Skyline Aviation Group in New South Wales was approached by Tony Lethbridge to help find his son who the family had not heard from in 24 hours.

Lethbridge entered the airport with cash in hand and said, "Mate, I've got $1000 – I need you to search as much as you can."

They successfully found Lethbridge's son whose car had crashed off the highway. The 17-year-old had to be cut out of the mangled vehicle where he was trapped for 30 hours, and was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.

Lethbridge told Fairfax Media on Thursday his son had been released from intensive care and his condition was slowly improving.

Lethbridge's daughter, Megan, also posted a Facebook tribute to the helicopter company who helped save her brother's life.

"Just wanted to let everyone know as if Skyline Aviation hasn't done enough for my brother and family, they have refunded the $1000 to my family for the flight to find my brother," she said.

"Under the circumstances we believe there has been enough stress on the family and that any additional financial stress was unwarranted," Lee Mitchell of Skyline Aviation said.

We recognize that the family will have many medical expenses in the future and wanted to contribute where we can."