Summary A helicopter on an unauthorized flight has crashed in Cairns, killing the sole occupant. Nautilus Aviation is investigating the unauthorized use of their helicopter and is cooperating with authorities. Australian Transport Safety Board is investigating the crash scene with debris spread around hotel pool and main street.
In the early hours of Monday morning (AEST), the pilot of an "unauthorized" flight was killed when a helicopter (not pictured) crashed into the roof of a luxury hotel in Cairns, Australia. The helicopter, a single-engine Robinson R44, crashed into the waterfront Double Tree Hotel by Hilton around 01:50, sparking a fire that caused around 400 guests to be evacuated. The helicopter is owned by a well-known travel and tourism operator, Nautilus Aviation, which said that the flight was unauthorized.
This morning, Nautilus Aviation issued the following statement: "Nautilus Aviation are working closely with police, the ATSB and other authorities as we investigate the unauthorised use of one of our helicopters in the early hours of this morning. As we continue to fully support the ongoing investigation, we will not be making further comments at this time." Witnesses told various outlets that the helicopter was "going incredibly fast before it crashed into the hotel.
" A bystander, Veronica Knight, said: "It seemed to come from the pier over there and straight down over the sea, straight, and it was going really fast. I thought, 'Wow, that doesn't look right.' 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 ten 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." Thought it was a bomb The Australian Transport Safety Board is sending an investigation team to Cairns, which is around 1,000 miles north of Brisbane. Debris from the crash was spread around the scene, with the two rotors dislodged, one landing on a main street and the other in the hotel pool.
Queensland Ambulance Service senior operations supervisor for the far North Region Caitlin Dennings told Channel 7 : "There's been reports it sounded like a bomb, and seeing smoke and fire from that, a lot of the occupants of the hotel were very unsure about the situation at the time. There is a lot of unease at the evacuation centre." Queensland police said the pilot, the sole occupant, was located and declared dead at the scene, but as yet, has not been identified, nor are there further comments from authorities about any possible reasons or motives behind the crash.
An elderly couple staying in the room below the crash point were taken to a hospital suffering from smoke inhalation and are reported to be in a stable condition. Nautilus Aviation is a highly respected operator specializing in tourism flights, particularly to the islands of the Great Barrier Reef. It also operates in aerial surveys, media and filming, emergency services and aerial services for mining, resource and telecommunications organizations.
It has a fleet of more than 40 aircraft that it operates from eight bases in northern Australia..
