It is now emerging that the pilot who died after crashing a helicopter into the roof of a luxury hotel in Cairns, Australia on Monday, August 12 had attended a party with staff members the night before.
In a statement on Tuesday, August 13, Nautilus Aviation confirmed that the pilot was an employee of the charter company that owned the aircraft, and that he had worked for four months.
The send-off party, Nautilas Aviation says, was meant to celebrate their promotion to another “ground crew position” with the same firm but another base.
“This was not a work event and was coordinated by friends,” the statement said.
According to Nautilus, the pilot was licensed to fly helicopters in New Zealand, but he had never flown in Australia. Shortly after the party, Nautilus says the pilot gained “unauthorised access to our helicopter hangar”.
“We offer our heartfelt condolences to the individual’s family and all who have been affected by this tragedy and continue to offer our support to our employees during this very challenging period,” Nautilus said in the statement.
Queensland Police say that emergency services were called to the intersection of The Esplanade and Florence Street around 1:50 am Monday following reports a twin engine helicopter had collided with the roof of the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel.
The resulting impact, police say, caused a fire on top of the hotel; however the building was evacuated as a precaution and there were no injuries sustained by people on the ground.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said that the helicopter crash ‘could have been a lot worse’. Angus Mitchell, ATSB Chief Commissioner, told journalists that rotor blades smacked into rooms of the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel.
Police are investigating all angles, including whether the crash was deliberate.
“We know that visibility was down at the time and there was possible rain,” Angus said. “We want to understand what the helicopter was equipped with, but also potentially what the helicopter was doing at the time and any nature of the flight.”
New Zealander Blake Wilson, believed to be in his mid-20s, has been identified as the pilot who perished in the crash.
