SYDNEY:
Australian Helicopter Crash: A pilot who lost his life after he crashed a helicopter into an Australian hotel during an unauthorized flight was under the influence of alcohol at the time, an investigation has found. The pilot was identified as Blake Wilson.
On Thursday, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) finalized its probe into the crash in the early hours of August 12. In the investigation, it was concluded that the 23-year-old pilot took the helicopter from an airport hangar for an unnecessary and unauthorized flight while affected by alcohol.
Wilson died after the Robinson R44 helicopter crashed into the roof of a hotel in the far northeastern city of Cairns at approximately 2 a.m. (local time) on August 12, news agency reported. Following the crash, an evacuation was triggered to rescue 400 hotel guests.
The ATSB found that Wilson, a ground staff employee of the charter company that owned the helicopter, did not have the appropriate experience or licenses for the flight.
In a statement on Thursday, ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said, “The pilot did not hold the appropriate endorsements to fly at night, did not have any experience flying the R44 at night, and they conducted the flight well below the 1,000-foot minimum height for flight over built-up areas,” as quoted by report.
He stated that the final report provides assurances to the Cairns community and the aviation industry that there are unlikely to be broader transport safety issues that need to be addressed to reduce the risk of future similar incidents.
As per the report, Wilson was socializing and drinking alcohol with friends at various venues in Cairns on the night of August 11. He returned to his apartment at 11 p.m. local time before driving to his employer, Nautilus Aviation’s hangar at Cairns airport at 1 a.m. on August 12.
CCTV footage showed the helicopter taking off after 1:30 a.m., flying low over the Cairns central business district, the marina, and Wilson’s apartment building for 20 minutes before crashing.
The investigation found the helicopter was inverted when it hit the hotel. Parts of the rotor blade were found in hotel rooms, with debris strewn across the hotel grounds and street. No evidence was found to explain Wilson’s intentions, and Mitchell said it was fortunate no hotel guests were seriously injured.
