Victims of tragic Whitsundays helicopter crash identified
The pilot of a helicopter which crashed in the Whitsundays killing two passengers tried desperately to save them.
An American couple, aged 65 and 79, from Hawaii was killed when the helicopter plummeted into the water.
The chopper had almost touched down on a helipad on Hardy Reef when it plummeted into the ocean 200 metres away from the Heart Pontoon, that was closed to tourists but packed with staff, who rushed to their aid.
Staff desperately performed CPR with instruction from paramedics over the phone but sadly, the couple couldn't be saved.
Their bodies were brought back to Airlie Beach late on Wednesday night.
Inspector Ian Haughton said his understanding is the pilot managed to pull the elderly female from the chopper.
The woman's 33-year-old daughter and her boyfriend, both from Colorado in the US, survived, along with the pilot.
"The entire Whitsunday Air Services team are devastated by this accident and our thoughts and condolences are with the passengers and their families," Chief Executive Officer of Whitsunday Air Services, Brad Graves, said.
The attention has since turned to what went wrong.
"The investigation will determine all aspects of the mechanical servicing of that helicopter what happened at the scene that may have been a contributing factor any possibility of error," Inspector Haughton said.
Former Fantasy Cruises Employee Craig Watson said he can't pinpoint what could have gone wrong.
"The pilots are quite used to flying out there over the water, and some of them even do the ship landings in Mackay and Hay Point. They're used to flying in all weather conditions," he said.
Water police spent Thursday on Hamilton Island interviewing witnesses but it could be several days before the wreckage can be recovered.
It's the company's second air incident in four months, its third in two years.
In November another one of its helicopters made an unexpected landing near Bait Reef where four people were rescued. Again in March 2016, 11 people were onboard a seaplane when it crash landed onto an island.
"We were scheduled on that flight for today so it's a normal thing a tourist would do, it's an exciting once in a lifetime thing," tourist Debbie Frank said. "So to lose your life doing that is just so senseless."
The daughter and her partner were questioned extensively by investigators on Thursday. Friends of the pilot say he is distraught but has plenty of support from colleagues and friends.
The company has suspended all operations while a full review is carried out.
