Cairns helicopter crash: Ill-fated flight only lasted four minutes and pilot may have been a former employee

An ill-fated helicopter flight that ended in tragedy in Cairns is reported to have lasted only four minutes before ploughing into the rooftop of the luxury DoubleTree hotel.

The pilot reported to be aged in his 40s and possibly a former employee of the Nautilus Aviation company, took the helicopter from a Cairns airport hangar and flew an ‘unauthorised’ flight before crash-landing into the hotel, the Australian reports.

Suspicions about the identity of the pilot and his connection to the aircraft company continue to swirl, with the chief investigator on the case confirming the ability to even get the helicopter airborne would need a special skill set.

“It’s miraculous ... It certainly could have been a lot worse,” Australian Transport Safety Bureau Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell told the ABC.

“It’s not only the enormous forces of the impact damage, but then the post-impact fire that followed as well.”

“Flying a helicopter, getting it up off the ground isn’t something that anyone could do,” Mr Mitchell added.

“You do need to have someone that has quite a detailed knowledge of the helicopter itself and how to fly it.”

Emergency services were called to the Double Tree Hotel by Hilton in the Far North Queensland city of Cairns at 1.50 am on Monday after a fireball erupted.

The Robinson 44 helicopter which is one of the most commonly used choppers in the aviation industry, left the Cairns airport at 1:48 am and flew into the Cairns CBD - a no-fly-zone- before the collision.

Two people, a man in his 80s and a woman in her 70s staying in the hotel, were affected by smoke after the impact and explosion. They were transported to hospital and are in stable condition.

Nautilus Aviation chief executive Aaron Finn confirmed the helicopter had been ‘stolen’ and that the flight was unauthorised and unplanned.

Mr Finn added his company’s pilots were accounted for and safe, however, he could not rule out the possibility another employee was responsible.

‘We have quite a lot of staff in the organisation. We can’t identify (the person responsible) from CCTV footage, it’s very dark,’ Mr Finn said.

An industry insider has suggested that a former employee would know the ‘ins and outs’ of the airport and may know how to gain access outside of hours.

‘’If it was a former employee, then they may know a way to get in,’’ the source said.

‘’Those helicopters are very easy to start as well - All you need is a key.’’

Police confirmed the man was the sole occupant in the helicopter and was declared dead at the scene,

An investigation is underway to formally identify the man and to determine the circumstances surrounding the crash.

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

Cairns was rocked in the early hours of Monday morning after the helicopter crash, 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 are yet to formally identify him.

Emergency services evacuated between 300 and 400 hotel guests, who were transferred to a nearby hotel. Miraculously no one else was seriously injured.

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