Helicopter that crashed into Cairns Double Tree hotel was taken from airport, company says
Emergency crews were called to the Double Tree Hotel by Hilton in Cairns this morning after reports a twin engine helicopter crashed into the roof.
The company that owns the helicopter that crashed into a Cairns hotel early on Monday killing the pilot, the only occupant, and sparking the evacuation of 400 guests, says the flight was "unauthorised" and the chopper was taken from a hangar at Cairns Airport.
Nautilus Aviation said they're working with police to determine what exactly occurred in the early hours of the morning when the aircraft crashed into the Double Tree Hotel by Hilton in Cairns, in Queensland's north at 1.50am.
The pilot was declared dead at the scene, with forensic investigators working to formally identify him, police said. Nautilus Aviation said the pilot had no permission to be flying the aircraft, with the company's CEO Aaron Finn telling media the chopper was taken unlawfully.
He said the identity of the man responsible remains unknown.
All pilots employed by the company were accounted for in the wake of the crash, Finn said, The Australian reported, with the incident reportedly coming as a shock to Nautilus. All staff have been given the day off in response.
Helicopter's owner issues public statement
"Nautilus Aviation are working closely with the Queensland Police Service, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau and other authorities as they investigate the unauthorised use of one of our helicopters in the early hours of this morning," a statement on Monday read.
"As we continue to fully support the ongoing investigation, we will not be making further comments at this time." Unconfirmed media reports suggested no flight plan had been created.
A bystander Veronica Knight said the helicopter was going incredibly fast before it crashed into the hotel. "It seemed to come from the pier over there and straight down over the sea, straight, and it was going really, really fast. I thought, ‘wow, that doesn’t look right’," she told Sunrise.
"It was pretty low, so I got … I was trying to video it, but it went too fast. And then it disappeared for about five to 10 minutes. Then I got a shock, it came back again. It was coming back along the sea again. And The Esplanade, and then all of a sudden it suddenly veered to the right.
"I just saw a big explosion and, like, huge fire and I thought, yeah, it’s just hit straight into the motel."
A fire broke out on the roof of the hotel following the crash and up to 400 people were evacuated. However, no one on the ground suffered any injuries. Paramedics earlier confirmed they were called to the scene just after 2am and assessed a male patient with life threatening injuries.
ATSB's public appeal
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has urged members of the public who may have information or footage of the incident to immediately contact authorities. "The ATSB is deploying a team of three transport safety investigators from its Brisbane office, with experience in aircraft operations and maintenance, to the accident site on Monday morning," a spokesperson said in a statement.
"They are preparing to gather evidence from a range of sources including conducting interviews, retrieving all available recorded data and any CCTV footage, and gathering weather, aircraft maintenance, operator procedure and pilot information and documentation.
"The ATSB asks anyone who may have witnessed or has photos or video footage of the aircraft at any phase of the flight (but not of the post impact fire), or heard the helicopter prior to the impact, to make contact." The spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia another update is expected later this afternoon.
- With NCA Newswire
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