- Blake Wilson was the pilot of the ‘stolen’ helicopter
- A helicopter crashed into the roof of a hotel in Cairns
- The pilot died at the scene and two people were hospitalized.
- Want to know more? Email Max.Aitchison@mailonline.com
The helicopter pilot who crashed a stolen aircraft into a seafront hotel partied with colleagues at a farewell dinner before his fatal flight.
New Zealander Blake Wilson was piloting a Robinson 44 helicopter when the chopper crashed into the roof of the DoubleTree by Hilton in Cairns, Far North, at 1.50am on Monday.
The unauthorised four-minute flight took off from the Nautilus hangar at Cairns Airport and flew into the city centre, crossing the city’s Esplanade, a no-fly zone.
Mr Wilson worked for Nautilus Aviation as a ground crew member and after a farewell dinner he broke into the hangar to take the helicopter on an unauthorized flight.
“Although the employee held a New Zealand CPL(H) pilot’s licence, he had never flown in Australia or for Nautilus Aviation and was not authorised to fly Nautilus Aviation helicopters,” the company said in a statement.
Mr Wilson was due to start work as a bunker on Horn Island, off Australia’s Top Tip, on Monday and held a farewell dinner with Nautilus colleagues on Sunday evening.
“We can confirm that this event did occur and was a privately arranged farewell for the individual involved in Monday morning’s incident, who was recently promoted to a ground crew position at another of our bases,” the company said.
‘This was not a work event and was coordinated by friends.
‘We offer our sincere condolences to the individual’s family and all those affected by this tragedy and continue to offer our support to our employees during this difficult time.’
Mr Wilson obtained his private pilot licence with Christchurch Helicopters in April 2022.
The young pilot is originally from Palmerston North, on the North Island of New Zealand.
New Zealander Blake Wilson (pictured right) was piloting a Robinson 44 helicopter when it crashed into the roof of the DoubleTree by Hilton in Cairns, Far North, at 1.50am on Monday.
Mr Wilson obtained his private pilot licence with Christchurch Helicopters in April 2022 and became a fully qualified commercial pilot with the company in September.
Emergency services were called to the Double Tree Hotel by Hilton in Cairns after a helicopter crashed into the roof of the building, causing a massive fire.
The man, believed to be an employee of Nautilus Aviation, stole a helicopter from the company’s hangar and flew it for four minutes before crashing into the hotel.
The Robinson 44 was only in the air for four minutes before it crashed; witnesses said the helicopter was flying at high speed and low to the ground.
The accident caused a huge fire on the roof of the hotel and a mass evacuation of up to 400 guests and staff during the early hours of Monday.
An 83-year-old man and a 76-year-old woman were taken to Cairns Hospital in a stable condition after being assessed by paramedics.
The helicopter’s wreckage was found up to 80 metres from the crash site, with two of its rotor blades detached.
One of the paddles was found in the hotel’s swimming pool on the ground floor, while the second landed on the Cairns Esplanade in front of the hotel.
Police confirmed the pilot was the sole occupant of the helicopter and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has launched an investigation, which will focus on the sequence of events leading up to the crash.
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