The ATSB has finalised its investigation into an accident involving a Robinson R44 helicopter which struck the roof of a Cairns hotel early in the morning of 12 August 2024.
“The investigation found that the pilot conducted an unauthorised and unnecessary flight at night, while affected by alcohol,” said ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell.
“The pilot did not hold the appropriate endorsements to fly at night, did not have any experience flying the R44 at night, and they conducted the flight well below the 1,000 ft minimum height for flight over built up areas.”
The ATSB finalised the investigation after determining it unlikely that broader safety issues or lessons would be uncovered.
“The ATSB primarily investigates to identify industry systemic safety issues, and to then influence the adoption of targeted actions to reduce future risk,” said Mr Mitchell.
“Our final report published today provides assurance to the Cairns community and the aviation industry that after gathering and analysing the available evidence, there are unlikely to be broader transport safety issues that require addressing to reduce future risk arising from this tragic accident.”
The report details that the pilot was an employee of the helicopter operator, and had gained access to their premises after entering a code into a security door keypad, and then to the hangar and the helicopter. The pilot held valid New Zealand and Australian commercial helicopter pilot licences, and had previously flown R44 helicopters. However, they were employed by the operator as a ground handler, and were not approved to, nor employed to fly the operator’s helicopters.
“Using a combination of CCTV footage, witness accounts, GPS data from the helicopter and air traffic control surveillance radar data, the ATSB was able to develop a detailed sequence of events of the accident flight,” Mr Mitchell said.
Prior to the flight, the pilot had been socialising with friends at various venues in Cairns, where they had been consuming alcohol, the report details. They had returned to their apartment around 11 pm, with CCTV footage showing them driving away from the apartment complex at 1:09 am. CCTV footage from the operator’s hangar showed the pilot moving the helicopter outside onto a helipad just after 1:30 am.
“We know from GPS and air traffic control radar data that the helicopter departed Cairns Airport shortly before 1:47 am, while CCTV footage showed that the helicopter’s strobe lights were turned off by the pilot,” Mr Mitchell said.
After taking off, the helicopter headed south towards the Cairns city centre, flying over the pilot’s apartment building and then tracking to the northern end of the Cairns wharf complex, where it completed an orbit before heading north towards the marina and continuing along the coastline.
After crossing the coastline and flying over the pilot’s apartment a second time, the helicopter circled back towards the foreshore, following it for about 1 km.
Throughout the flight the helicopter’s altitude did not exceed 500 ft.
“Two security cameras recorded very brief portions of the final part of the flight and showed the helicopter pitching up, then almost immediately descending steeply before colliding into the roof of the hotel at about 1:51 am,” Mr Mitchell said.
“Wreckage distribution and impact marks indicate that the helicopter was inverted at impact.”
Most of the helicopter came to rest on the hotel roof and was destroyed by impact forces and a fuel-fed post-impact fire. The pilot was fatally injured.
Parts of the main rotor blade were found in the hotel rooms below the accident site, while the helicopter’s instrument panel, main rotor head and most of the main rotor blades were found within the hotel grounds. A portion of the same main rotor blade that struck the hotel windows was found in parkland across the road.
Fortunately there were no injuries to hotel guests and staff, nor passersby.
“From the available evidence there were no airworthiness factors with the helicopter that likely contributed to the accident,” Mr Mitchell said.
“The flight was a purposeful act, but there was no evidence available to explain the pilot’s intentions.”
Mr Mitchell concluded: “I would like to acknowledge that the nature of this accident is deeply distressing to the pilot’s family, and they have asked that I share with you their request for privacy at this time.”
Read the report: Collision with building involving Robinson R44 II, VH-ERH, at Cairns, Queensland, on 12 August 2024