The tragic history of a man who died in a helicopter crash has now been revealed

54-year-old Joseph Keeley and 25-year-old Cole Ritchie died when their small helicopter went down near Paekakariki, north of Wellington last week.

They were working as pest control contractors on the Transmission Gully highway.

The Post reports Keeley, who was a veteran pilot, had survived two previous crashes, including one in which he saved another man's life.

Keeley's father, with the same name, died in similar circumstances when the helicopter he was piloting crashed near Taupo during take-off in 1983.