Cairns Helicopter Crash: Alcohol-Fueled Flight Ends In Tragedy

A report from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has revealed that a pilot who crashed a helicopter into the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Cairns, Queensland, on August 12, had “significant blood alcohol content” at the time of the unauthorized flight. The incident prompted the evacuation of hundreds of guests and staff when the aircraft collided with the hotel’s top floor and erupted in flames.

According to charter company Nautilus Aviation, the pilot, a member of its ground crew, had attended a party the night before the crash to celebrate a promotion. Despite having access to the helicopter, he was not authorized to fly it, as the keys were often left inside when the aircraft was parked in the hangar.

The ATSB report indicated that the pilot flew below the 1,000-foot altitude limit allowed over populated areas and that investigators could not determine his motives for taking the helicopter or whether he intended to crash it. The report stated, “For reasons unknown, pilot actions resulted in a collision with a building while conducting an unauthorized and unnecessary flight, while affected by alcohol, late at night and at low heights over a built-up area, and without night flying endorsements.”

Witnesses and security footage confirmed that the pilot consumed alcohol at various venues in Cairns before attempting the flight. He was seen maneuvering a Nautilus Aviation Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter onto a helipad at Cairns Airport around 1:30 a.m. local time. Minutes later, he turned off the helicopter’s cockpit and strobe lights before taking off towards Cairns city center.

Although Australian Federal Police and airport safety officers were on duty that night, they were not near the hangar and would not have noticed a helicopter flying without lights. The report concluded that the pilot appeared to want to conceal his departure from air traffic control and airport staff.

Investigators lacked a cockpit recorder or flight data recorder, but they were able to trace the helicopter’s movements through GPS and ground radar data. The report noted that the helicopter was not upright when it struck the hotel, and there were no signs of mechanical failure.