A deadly helicopter crash into the roof of a far north Queensland resort may have been loads worse, investigators say.
Lots of of visitors have been evacuated and two individuals hospitalised after the “massive explosion” at DoubleTree by Hilton in Cairns early on Monday.
The pilot died on the scene and is but to be recognized, with thriller surrounding the circumstances of the “unauthorised” flight.
The Australian Transport Security Bureau’s chief commissioner, Angus Mitchell, mentioned the crash may have been deadlier, on condition that the rotor blades of the helicopter smacked into the resort rooms, one in every of which had an aged couple asleep inside.
“It’s miraculous … It certainly could have been a lot worse,” he informed ABC Radio. “It’s not only the enormous forces of the impact damage but then the post-impact fire that followed as well.”
The 2 resort visitors, a person in his 80s and a lady in her 70s, have been taken to hospital to be handled for smoke inhalation.
The resort was practically full, with nearly 400 visitors evacuated, and many individuals have been nonetheless strolling round Cairns at 1am, which Mitchell mentioned heightened the danger of a extra harmful crash.
Investigators are analyzing the sequence of occasions, with info thus far indicating that the four-seater chopper was solely airborne for 5 minutes.
Mitchell mentioned they might concentrate on the ultimate affect and whether or not one thing apart from particular person fault was accountable.
Police are additionally investigating how the helicopter was taken on an unauthorised flight. “Flying a helicopter, getting it up off the ground, isn’t something that anyone could do,” Mitchell mentioned.
“You do need to have someone that has quite a detailed knowledge of the helicopter itself and how to fly it.”
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Different strains of inquiry will embody whether or not the helicopter was stolen, if the crash was deliberate and how briskly the plane was flying.
The north Queensland-based constitution firm Nautilus Aviation, which runs scenic excursions from the Cairns waterfront, confirmed on Monday that it owned the helicopter and was supporting the investigation.
A vacationer from Sydney, Veronica Knight, noticed the helicopter flying round Cairns, describing it as travelling at a really quick velocity.
“It was like an army helicopter but faster,” she mentioned. “Like a warplane, like it was going to come in and bomb you.”
Mitchell mentioned the crash was uncommon. “Police went to great lengths to reassure the public here that they believe it is a one-off incident and there’s nothing else behind this, because things like this are unsettling,” he mentioned.
“We only have to look into the past history around planes into buildings and where that can potentially lead us.”
