The identity of the pilot of the helicopter that crashed into the roof of a luxury Cairns hotel remains a mystery, with one of the only clues so far being obscure CCTV footage showing the pilot stealing the chopper from the airport.
Emergency services were called to the scene after the twin-engine helicopter crashed into the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel just before 2am on Monday.
Queensland police confirmed the pilot, the helicopter’s sole occupant, died at the scene.
Two hotel guests, an 83-year-old man and a 76-year-old woman, were taken to Cairns Hospital in a stable condition.
Nautilus Aviation, the company that owns the helicopter, confirmed it had not authorized the use of the helicopter, which was apparently taken from its hangar at Cairns airport.
“Nautilus Aviation is 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,” it said in a statement to Daily Mail Australia.
Nautilus Aviation CEO Aaron Finn said none of the licensed pilots working for Nautilus Aviation flew the plane. However, he could not rule out that someone else at the company was responsible for the bizarre, fatal flight.
“We have quite a few people in the organisation. We can’t identify (the person responsible) from the CCTV footage, it’s very dark,” he told The Australian.
Meanwhile, an eyewitness described how the helicopter flew “very fast” before crashing into the hotel in a “massive explosion”.
The plane crashed into the window of a couple’s hotel room (above). The survivors were “tourists” who were sleeping and were “lucky not to be seriously injured.”
“It was like a fuel tank exploded,” said tourist Veronica Knight.
Ms Knight said she watched the helicopter fly by for about 15 minutes and described seeing it fly past her “very quickly” twice.
The Sydney tourist said she had never seen a helicopter travel so fast.
“He came back very quickly and then went into the hotel. I was very scared,” she said.
“It was like a military helicopter, but faster. Like a warplane, like it was going to come and bomb you.”
The helicopter’s blades fell to the ground in the accident, one landing on the main street and the other in the hotel’s pool.
“We saw the rotor on the ground. It wasn’t too far away. It could have hit me,” Knight said.
The crash caused a fireball that prevented emergency crews from immediately entering the hotel, said Caitlin Denning of the Queensland Ambulance Service.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Shane Holmes would not confirm whether police had positively identified the pilot and informed his next of kin.
Tourist Veronica Knight shared shocking details of how the accident unfolded, comparing the activities of the helicopter that flew over the city to those of a warplane.
Police said the helicopter took off from Cairns Airport, where Nautilus Aviation has hangars (above), and was only airborne for a short time before crashing into the Double Tree Hilton 6km away.
Archive image of a Nautilus helicopter from its Facebook page
“At that point, it was not safe for us to go inside the hotel to see (the impact site),” he told reporters.
Queensland Police Service Acting Chief Superintendent Shane Holmes said police had launched an investigation to determine how the helicopter was taken.
‘The aircraft was moved from a general aviation hangar early this morning and was an unauthorized flight.
“We are working with local aviation operators to determine the circumstances that led to the aircraft taking off.”
Asked about the identity of the pilot, Acting Superintendent Holmes said he was not sure.
“We have some preliminary information but no formal confirmation of identity.”
Australian Transport Safety Bureau Commissioner Angus Mitchell dismissed speculation that an untrained pilot could have flown the helicopter.
“It’s certainly very difficult to fly a helicopter if you don’t have experience,” he said.
Queensland Premier Steven Miles described it as a “terrifying event”.
“I can’t imagine how scary it would be to be asleep and hear that loud noise and have to be evacuated.”
DoubleTree by Hilton management said all guests and staff had been safely evacuated from the premises.
“We are actively arranging alternative accommodation for these guests for tonight,” a statement said.
