The pilot who flew a helicopter into the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel in Cairns was reportedly in the air for just four minutes before the crash. The man, believed to be in his 40s, died at the scene.
More than 400 guests were evacuated from the hotel in the early hours of yesterday morning after a helicopter crashed into the roof and erupted into a ball of flames. A couple – a man in his 80s and a woman in her 70s – were taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation and shock. They are said to be in a stable condition.
https://www.travelweekly.com.au/article/chaos-in-cairns-as-helicopter-crashes-into-the-doubletree-hilton-and-erupts-in-a-ball-of-flames/
The pilot’s identity is still a mystery, however, The Australian has reported that he is believed to be either a current or former employee of Nautilus Aviation – the private charter company that owned the aircraft.
The airline’s CEO Aaron Finn revealed that the flight was “unauthorised and unplanned’ and that the helicopter was stolen from the airport in the early hours of the morning.
All the accredited pilots who work for the company have been accounted for Finn said, however (it is impossible to rule out all staff).
“We have quite a lot of staff in the organisation. We can’t identify (the person responsible) from CCTV footage, it’s very dark.”
Eyewitnesses said that the aircraft was flying erratically and close to the ground before it crashed.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau’s chief commissioner, Angus Mitchell, said it is a miracle that the crash wasn’t worse given the fact the hotel was full and the time of day.
“It’s not only the enormous forces of the impact damage but then the post-impact fire that followed as well,” he told ABC radio.
Two of the helicopter blades came off and landed in the hotel pool however, thankfully, there were no injuries on the ground.
Hotel guest Alastair Salmon woke up to a “a colossal ear-deafening bang”. He went on to say that the crash felt like a bomb going off, with flames “rising up the side of the building”.
“Then we looked up there and you could see this massive hole in the window of the building,” he added.
Queensland Police declared a Public Safety Preservation Act (PSPA) and Esplanade, Minnie Street, Aplin Street and Grafton Street were declared an exclusion zone.
“Our thoughts are with all affected by the distressing incident at Cairns Esplanade yesterday, including loved ones of the deceased person, our valued partners Nautilus Aviation and the wider airport community,” Cairns Airport CEO Richard Barker said.
“The team at Cairns Airport is assisting relevant authorities and we will avoid unnecessary commentary to ensure integrity of the investigation.
“Cairns Airport operates under a federally approved, multi-layered transport security program. To reassure our community, we wish to confirm a review has been conducted, showing no compromise of our airport fence or access points.”
Feature image: DoubleTree Hilton Cairns
