The only air traffic controller on duty at Cairns Airport when a stolen helicopter crashed into a luxury hotel was apparently reclining in a chair and saw nothing of the incident.
Last week, Daily Mail Australia revealed that New Zealander Blake Wilson, 23, was piloting a Robinson 44 helicopter when it crashed into the roof of the DoubleTree by Hilton in Cairns, Far North Queensland, at 1.50am on Monday.
The four-minute “unauthorised” flight took off from the Nautilus Aviation hangar at Cairns Airport shortly after 1.45am and completed several erratic circuits across the mudflats and over the city’s Esplanade, which is a no-fly zone.
Witnesses reported seeing the plane flying dangerously low before crashing into the roof of the hotel and bursting into flames.
Miraculously, only Mr Wilson died. Two elderly guests were treated in hospital for smoke inhalation, while nearly 400 people had to be evacuated in the middle of the night.
Now, a 7News investigation has discovered that the only traffic controller on duty that night was taking a break in a recliner during Mr Wilson’s fatal flight.
An internal Airservices Australia document obtained by the broadcaster revealed that Cairns Tower only discovered the incident when it was contacted by police afterwards.
But he insisted the controller “did not sleep during this brief period of rest” and listened to audio clues heard on the radio between 1.42am and 1.51am.
Last week, Daily Mail Australia revealed that New Zealander Blake Wilson (pictured), 23, was piloting a Robinson 44 helicopter when it crashed into the roof of the DoubleTree by Hilton in Cairns, Far North Queensland, at 1.50am on Monday.
Witnesses reported seeing the plane flying dangerously low before crashing into the roof of the hotel and bursting into flames (pictured: investigators survey the damage)
The last scheduled flight had landed at Cairns Airport at 12.38am, about an hour before Mr Wilson was due to take off.
The next scheduled flight was not due for another five hours.
“The controller reported that he used a reclining chair to brake, which limited the view of the airfield,” the document states.
At 1.42am the ‘controller heard a click on the radio’ and stood up but ‘saw nothing and then sat back down’.
Five minutes later, the rogue helicopter appeared on the tower’s Integrated Tower Automation Suite (INTAS) screen, but the controller did not see it.
The four-minute “unauthorised” flight took off from the Nautilus Aviation hangar at Cairns Airport shortly after 1.45am and completed several erratic circuits across mudflats and over the city’s no-fly zone esplanade (pictured).
At 1.51am, the controller heard a longer click but “did not observe anything on the INTAS display”.
A minute later, at 1:52 a.m., the helicopter disappeared from the screen, the report said.
Police were called to Cairns Tower with information about the crash, which occurred between 1.53am and 2.06am.
The Brisbane supervisor was not notified of the accident until 2.36am.
“The controller did not observe radar identification of the ERH (the stolen helicopter) while it was airborne and was likely taking a break between scheduled aircraft movements, which is acceptable practice,” the report states.
An Airservices Australia spokesperson said they were “conducting preliminary investigations into the events in Cairns on 12 August, as well as supporting investigations by relevant state and federal government agencies”.
“Out of respect for the ongoing processes and our team members, it is not appropriate for Airservices to engage in speculation or make any further statements at this time,” the spokesperson added.
Civil Air, the union for air traffic controllers, told 7NEWS it believed two or more controllers should have been on duty.
“This will ensure that breaks are used to alleviate fatigue and address the (occupational health and safety) concerns associated with night shift work,” said executive secretary Peter McGuane.
‘Civil Air pursues this minimum staffing level as an operational requirement.’
Queensland Police and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau are still investigating the crash.
Mr Wilson obtained his private pilot licence with Christchurch Helicopters in April 2022, but has never worked for Nautilus Aviation as a pilot.
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 report revealed that Mr Wilson had secured a ground crew position with Nautilus Aviation in April this year and had just been promoted to a refuelling role at Horn Island off Far North Queensland, a post he was due to start on the Monday after the fatal crash.
Nautilus colleagues held a farewell dinner for Mr Wilson on Sunday evening, just hours before he set off on his fatal flight.
Nautilus Aviation said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon that the dinner “was not a work event and was arranged by friends.”
“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 statement added.
Nautilus chief executive Aaron Finn described the accident as “very unfortunate” and suggested investigators were not treating it as deliberate.
Nautilus chief executive Aaron Finn (pictured) described the accident as “very unfortunate” and suggested investigators were not treating it as deliberate.
“He was a great employee, we had no concerns about his well-being or mental state,” Finn said.
Nautilus Aviation confirmed the pilot was “a current employee in a ground crew position, having joined approximately four months ago.”
“Although the employee held a New Zealand CPL(H) pilot licence, he had never flown in Australia or for Nautilus Aviation and was not authorised to fly Nautilus Aviation helicopters,” the statement added.
The company said it had completed interviews with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) and Queensland Police and had “cooperated with full transparency and disclosure of all events leading up to and following the incident on Monday morning.”
He added: “We offer our sincere condolences to the individual’s family and all those who have been affected by this tragedy and continue to offer our support to our employees during this very difficult period.”
The helicopter crashed into the roof of the luxury hotel in Cairns and two of its propellers were torn off on impact.
Nautilus Aviation said it had completed interviews with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) and Queensland Police and had “cooperated with full transparency and disclosure of all events leading up to and following the incident” (the company’s headquarters is pictured).
The young pilot is originally from Palmerston North, on the North Island of New Zealand.
Mr Wilson obtained his private pilot licence with Christchurch Helicopters in April 2022.
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 overnight.
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.