Joe McConnell
A pilot who died after crashing a stolen helicopter into a hotel in Australia had attended a party with staff the night before, his employer said.
The helicopter belonged to Queensland-based helicopter tour operator Nautilus Aviation, which said the employee had been celebrating the crash privately with colleagues hours before the incident.
Nautilus added that the individual had a license to fly helicopters in New Zealand, but had never flown in Australia.
The pilot died in the accident, while two hotel guests were transported to hospital in stable condition.
In a statement to the BBC, Nautilus said the individual had recently been promoted to a “ground staff position” at another of the company’s bases.
On Sunday evening, he joined colleagues for a private greeting, which also included off-duty pilots. Nautilus clarified that this was “not a work event and was coordinated by friends.”
Nautilus added that the individual then gained “unauthorized access to our helicopter hangar.”
The helicopter struck the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in the north Queensland city of Cairns around 1.50am local time on Monday (4.50pm BST on Sunday), sparking a fire and forcing the evacuation of around 400 guests.
Authorities say the helicopter’s sole occupant died instantly and two hotel guests, an 80-year-old man and a 70-year-old woman, were taken to the hospital in stable condition.
Amanda Kay, who was staying at the hotel on Cairns’ main promenade, said she saw a helicopter flying “very low”, with no lights, on a rainy day.
“[It] “It flipped over and hit the building,” he said, adding that the plane “exploded.”
Another passerby said he saw the helicopter fly over the hotel twice in the moments before the collision.
“Man, that helicopter was going so fast. Unbelievable,” one woman said in a video showing the fiery aftermath of the crash.
“That thing was just getting out of control.”
According to the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS), two rotor blades of the helicopter broke off on impact, landing on the esplanade and in the hotel’s swimming pool.
In its statement, Nautilus Aviation said it had completed discussions with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) and the Queensland Police Service (QPS) and was cooperating with full transparency in disclosing the events leading up to and following the crash.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the individual’s family and all those affected by this tragedy and continue to offer our support to our employees during this very difficult time,” the statement read.
“We will continue to work closely with the QPS and ATSB as they investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.”
Located in northern Queensland, the city of Cairns is a popular tourist destination due to its proximity to the Great Barrier Reef.
