A pilot has tragically died when a helicopter crashed into the roof of a hotel in Cairns, Australia, during what authorities described as an “unauthorised” early morning flight. The incident occurred at around 1.50am local time on Monday when the aircraft collided with the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in the north Queensland city, causing a fire to break out and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of guests.
Authorities confirmed that the helicopter’s sole occupant died at the scene. Two hotel guests, an 80-year-old man and a 70-year-old woman, were also taken to hospital in stable condition.
There have been suggestions in local media that the helicopter may have been stolen. Nautilus Aviation, the company that owned the aircraft, issued a statement declaring its intention to fully cooperate with Queensland authorities in their investigation into the “unauthorised use of one of our helicopters in the early hours of this morning”.
Eyewitnesses described the horrific moments before the crash. Amanda Kay, a hotel guest, described seeing the helicopter flying “extra low” without lights in rainy weather before it “turned around and hit the building.” She added that the aircraft “exploded” on impact. Another witness reported seeing the helicopter fly past the hotel twice before the collision and described it as “out of control.”
The force of the impact caused two of the helicopter’s rotor blades to detach, one of which landed on the esplanade and the other in the hotel pool, according to the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS). “There were reports it sounded like a bomb,” said QAS spokeswoman Caitlin Dennings, referring to the chaos and confusion among hotel guests.
Alastair Salmon, a tourist from London who was staying at the hotel, described the incident to ABC as “a huge, deafening bang.” He was one of around 400 people evacuated from the building. Salmon initially thought one of the severed rotor blades on the ground was a lamppost until he noticed “a huge hole in the window of the building.”
Following the accident, roads around the hotel were closed and Queensland Police declared a state of emergency. Queensland Police and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) are continuing their investigations into the circumstances of the tragic event.
Cairns in northern Queensland is a popular tourist destination, especially for visitors to the nearby Great Barrier Reef. The city is currently grappling with the aftermath of this shocking incident.
Follow us on:
