A pilot who died when a stolen helicopter crashed into an Australian hotel had attended a party with staff the night before, his employer said.
The helicopter belonged to Queensland-based helicopter tour company Nautilus Aviation. The company said the employee had been having a private farewell party with colleagues hours before the crash.
Nautilus added that the person had a license to fly a helicopter in New Zealand but had never flown in Australia.
The pilot died in the accident, while two hotel guests were taken to hospital in stable condition.
In a statement to the BBC, Nautilus said the person had recently been promoted to a “ground staff position” at another of the company’s locations.
On Sunday evening, the pilot attended a private farewell party with colleagues, which was also attended by off-duty pilots. Nautilus clarified that this “was not a work event and was organized by friends.”
Nautilus added that the person later gained “unauthorized access to our helicopter hangar.”
The helicopter struck the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in the city of Cairns in northern Queensland at around 1:50 a.m. local time on Monday (4:50 p.m. CET on Sunday), sparking a fire and requiring the evacuation of around 400 guests.
Authorities said the helicopter’s sole occupant died at the scene, and two hotel guests – a man in his 80s and a woman in her 70s – were taken to hospital in stable condition.
Amanda Kay, who was staying at the hotel on Cairns’ main promenade, described seeing a helicopter flying “extra low” and without lights in rainy weather.
“(It) turned around and hit the building,” she said, adding that the plane “exploded.”
Another passerby said she saw the helicopter fly past the hotel twice immediately before the collision.
“Boy, that helicopter was fast. Unbelievable,” said a woman in a video showing the fiery aftermath of the crash.
“The thing just got out of control.”
According to the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS), two of the helicopter’s rotor blades came loose on impact and it landed on the Esplanade and in the hotel pool.
Nautilus Aviation said in its statement that the company had held discussions with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) and the Queensland Police Service (QPS) and had cooperated with full transparency in disclosing the events leading up to and following the incident.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the family of the deceased and all those affected by this tragedy and continue to offer our support to our employees during this extremely difficult time,” the statement said.
“We will continue to work very closely with QPS and ATSB as they investigate the circumstances of the incident.”
The city of Cairns, located in northern Queensland, is a popular tourist destination due to its proximity to the Great Barrier Reef.
