‘Unauthorised’ chopper crashes into Australian hotel
A pilot has died after his helicopter crashed into the roof of a hotel in Australia during an “unauthorized” early morning flight.
The aircraft collided with the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Cairns, northern Queensland, at around 01:50 local time on Monday (16:50 BST Sunday), igniting a fire and prompting the evacuation of hundreds of guests.
Authorities reported that the pilot, who was the only person aboard the helicopter, died at the scene. Two hotel guests, a man in his 80s and a woman in her 70s, were taken to the hospital in stable condition.
Some local media outlets have speculated that the helicopter may have been stolen.
Nautilus Aviation, the owner of the helicopter, stated that it would cooperate fully with Queensland authorities as they investigate the “unauthorized use of one of our helicopters in the early hours of this morning.”
Amanda Kay, a guest at the hotel on Cairns’ main esplanade, recounted seeing a helicopter flying “extra low” without lights in rainy weather.
“[It] turned around and hit the building,” she said, adding that the aircraft “exploded.”
Another witness reported seeing the helicopter fly past the hotel twice before the crash.
“That helicopter was going really fast. Unbelievable,” a woman remarked in a video showing the fiery aftermath of the crash.
“It was just going out of control, that thing was.”
Two of the helicopter’s rotor blades came off on impact, landing on the esplanade and in the hotel pool, according to Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS).
“There’s been reports it sounded like a bomb, and [that after] seeing smoke and fire from that, a lot of the occupants of the hotel were very unsure about the situation,” spokeswoman Caitlin Dennings told media.
Another tourist staying at the hotel, Alastair Salmon, described it to the ABC as “a colossal ear-deafening bang”.
Mr Salmon, from London, was among about 400 people who were evacuated from the hotel.
He described seeing the helicopter’s rotor blade on the ground nearby and mistaking it for a lamppost.
“Then we looked up there and you could see this massive hole in the window of the building,” he told the ABC.
Streets around the hotel have been cordoned off and an emergency situation was declared by police.
Queensland Police and the aviation safety watchdog, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, are continuing investigations into the circumstances of the crash.
Located in northern Queensland, the city of Cairns is a popular tourist destination due to its proximity to the Great Barrier Reef.
