Cairns helicopter crash: Investigators confirm deadly flight may have been in stolen aircraft

Police are investigating whether a helicopter that crash-landed into a luxury hotel in Cairns, killing the pilot, may have been stolen.

Nautilus Aviation, the company that operates the twin-engine helicopter released a statement declaring the flight had been “unauthorised”.

“Nautilus Aviation are working closely with Queensland police, 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,” the company said.

Cairns was rocked in the early hours of this morning after the helicopter crashed into the rooftop of The Esplanade’s DoubleTree Hotel, killing the pilot, and throwing the city into chaos.

The massive impact and subsequent explosion sent a fireball from the top of the hotel.

The pilot, the only occupant of the aircraft, was found by fire and rescue services and declared dead at the scene. Police said forensic investigations had started to formally identify the victim.

Emergency services evacuated between 300 and 400 hotel guests, who were transferred to a nearby hotel. Miraculously no one else was seriously injured with a male in his 80s and a woman in her 70s taken to Cairns Hospital in a stable condition.

Hotel guests and nearby resident told emergency services that the sound of the impact felt like a bomb had gone off.

“It is quite frightening to hear, that noise of a helicopter crashing,” Queensland Ambulance Service senior operations supervisor Caitlin Denning said.

“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.”

The impact of the crash sent the two propellers from the helicopter on to the street below.

‘’One propeller landed on the Cairns Esplanade and the other landed in the hotel pool below,’’ Ms Denning said.

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.

“And then it disappeared for about five to 10 minutes. Then I got a shock, it came back again.

“I just saw a big explosion and, like, huge fire and I thought, yeah, it’s just hit straight into the motel.”

Police fire rescue and ambulance services arrived on the scene at around 1.50am,

Australian Transport Safety Bureau chief commissioner Angus Mitchell that visibility was “down” Monday on morning.

“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,” Mr Mitchell said.

“There’s been an impact to a building here. We’ve certainly had a look at the room that was impacted, where we had two people asleep at the time, and no doubt that’s been a very traumatic experience for them and also to the family and friends of the person who has deceased in this incident,” he said.

Nautilus Aviation chief executive Aaron Finn told The Australian all staff were accounted for and had been given the day off following the incident.

He confirmed the helicopter was taken from Cairns airport early in the morning.

Queensland Police Service Acting Chief Superintendent Shane Holmes said it “was unknown at this stage” if the it was a deliberate act.

Queensland Fire Gold Coast zone commander Superintendent Greg Tomlinson said the incident could’ve been “much worse”.

“I think it’s just by pure luck that no one else was injured, and we’re so grateful that there has been no other injuries as a result of this incident,” he said.

An exclusion zone remains in place, encompassing: The Esplanade, Minnie Street, Abbott Street and Florence Street.

Members of the public have been advised to avoid the area.