Mystery surrounds how a helicopter was flown out of a major tourist airport without authorisation and crashed into a luxury hotel roof, killing the pilot . Hundreds of guests were evacuated and two people hospitalised after the “massive explosion” at the Cairns DoubleTree by Hilton in far north Queensland early on Monday. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Pilot dead and hundreds evacuated following Cairns hotel crash Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today An emergency exclusion zone was set up in the heart of the tourist hub after propellers were dislodged in the 2am crash, with one landing on the main street and another in the hotel pool.
“We saw the rotor on the ground. I wasn’t far away. It could have got me,” tourist Veronica Knight told AAP.
The identity of the pilot - the helicopter’s sole occupant - is yet to be confirmed along with the circumstances surrounding the “unauthorised” flight. Authorities on Monday would not confirm whether the four-seater helicopter had been stolen from Cairns airport. However, the chopper’s owners Nautilus Aviation, a north Queensland charter company that runs scenic tours around Cairns, said on Monday it had not authorised a flight.
“The aircraft was moved from a general aviation hangar early this morning, and it was an unauthorised flight,” Queensland Police’s Acting Chief Superintendent Shane Holmes told reporters. “We are working with a local aviation operator to understand the circumstances that led to the (c.