The single air traffic controller on duty at Cairns airport when a stolen helicopter smashed into a luxury hotel was reportedly reclining on a chair and missed the entire incident.
Last week, Daily Mail Australia revealed that New Zealander Blake Wilson, 23, was piloting a Robinson 44 helicopter when it crashed into the roof of the DoubleTree by Hilton in Cairns, Far North Queensland, at 1.50am on Monday.
The ‘unauthorised’, four-minute journey took off from the Nautilus Aviation hangar at Cairns Airport shortly after 1.45am and completed several erratic circuits across the mudflats and over the city’s Esplanade, which is a no-fly zone.
Witnesses reported seeing the aircraft flying dangerously low before it smashed into the hotel roof and burst into flames.
Miraculously, only Mr Wilson was killed. Two elderly guests were treated at hospital for smoke inhalation, while almost 400 people had to be evacuated in the middle of the night.
Now an investigation by 7News has uncovered that the single traffic controller on duty that night was taking a break on a recliner during Mr WIlson’s fatal flight.
An internal Airservices Australia document, obtained by the network, revealed that the Cairns Tower only discovered the incident when contacted by police afterwards.
But it insisted that the controller ‘did not sleep during this short break period’ and attended to audio clues heard over the radio between 1.42am and 1.51am.
Last week, Daily Mail Australia revealed that New Zealander Blake Wilson (pictured), 23, was piloting a Robinson 44 helicopter when it crashed into the roof of the DoubleTree by Hilton in Cairns, Far North Queensland, at 1.50am on Monday
Witnesses reported seeing the aircraft flying dangerously low before it smashed into the hotel roof and burst into flames (pictured: investigators inspect the damage)
The last scheduled flight had landed at Cairns Airport at 12.38am, around one hour before Mr Wilson took off.
The next planned flight was not for another five hours.
‘The controller reported using a recliner chair to self-break, which limited view of the airfield,’ the document states.
At 1.42am, the ‘controller heard a click on the radio’ and got up but ‘saw nothing then sat back down’.
Five minutes later, the rogue helicopter displayed on the tower’s Integrated Tower Automation Suite (INTAS) screen but this was not seen by the controller.
The ‘unauthorised’, four-minute journey took off from the Nautilus Aviation hangar at Cairns Airport shortly after 1.45am and completed several erratic circuits across the mudflats and over the city’s Esplanade, which is a no-fly zone (pictured)
At 1.51am, the controller heard a longer click but ‘did not observe anything on INTAS display’.
A minute later, at 1.52am, the helicopter vanished from the screen, the report states.
Police called the Cairns Tower with information about the crash between 1.53am and 2.06am.
The Brisbane supervisor was not notified of the accident until 2.36am.
‘The controller did not observe the radar ident of ERH (the stolen helicopter) when airborne and was likely due to taking a break in between scheduled aircraft movements, which is acceptable practice,’ the report stated.
A spokesperson for Airservices Australia said it was ‘conducting preliminary inquiries into the events in Cairns of 12 August, in addition to supporting investigations by relevant state and federal government agencies’.
‘Out of respect to those ongoing processes, and to members of our team, it is not appropriate for Airservices to engage in speculation or make further statements at this time,’ the spokesperson added.
Civil Air, the union for air traffic controllers, told 7NEWS it believed two or more controllers should have been on shift.
‘This will ensure the use of rest breaks to alleviate fatigue and address (occupational health and safety) concerns associated with the night shift,’ executive secretary Peter McGuane said.
‘Civil Air pursues this minimum staffing level as an operational requirement.’
Queensland Police and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau are still investigating the crash.
Mr Wilson gained his private pilot’s licence with Christchurch Helicopters in April 2022, but never worked for Nautilus Aviation as a pilot
Emergency services were called to the Double Tree Hotel by Hilton in Cairns after a helicopter crashed into the roof of the building, sparking a massive blaze
This publication revealed that Mr Wilson had landed a ground crew role with Nautilus Aviation in April this year and had just been promoted to a position as a refueller on Horn Island above Far North Queensland, which he was due to start the Monday after the fatal accident.
Colleagues at Nautilus held a farewell dinner for Mr Wilson on the Sunday evening, just hours before he embarked on his fatal flight.
Nautilus Aviation said in a statement released on Tuesday afternoon that the dinner was ‘not a work event and was coordinated by friends’.
‘We can confirm this event did occur and was a privately organised send-off for the individual involved in Monday morning’s incident, who was recently promoted to a ground crew position at another one of our bases,’ the statement added.
Aaron Finn, CEO of Nautilus, described the crash as ‘very unfortunate’ and suggested it was not being treated as deliberate by investigators.
Aaron Finn (pictured), CEO of Nautilus, described the crash as ‘very unfortunate’ and suggested it was not being treated as deliberate by investigators
‘He was a great employee, we had no concerns about his wellbeing or his mental state,’ Mr Finn said.
Nautilus Aviation confirmed that the pilot was ‘a current employee in a ground crew position, joining approximately four months ago’.
‘Although the employee held a New Zealand CPL(H) pilot’s licence, they have never flown in Australia or for Nautilus Aviation and were not authorised to fly Nautilus Aviation helicopters,’ the statement added.
The company said it had completed interviews with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) and Queensland Police and had ‘cooperated with full transparency and disclosure of all events leading up to and following the incident on Monday morning’.
It added: ‘We offer our heartfelt condolences to the individual’s family and all who have been affected by this tragedy and continue to offer our support to our employees during this very challenging period.’
The helicopter slammed into the roof of the luxury Cairns hotel – with two of its propellers falling off on impact
Nautilus Aviation said it had completed interviews with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) and Queensland Police and had ‘cooperated with full transparency and disclosure of all events leading up to and following the incident ‘ (the company’s headquarters are pictured)
The young pilot is originally from Palmerston North on New Zealand’s North Island.
Mr Wilson gained his private pilot’s licence with Christchurch Helicopters in April 2022.
The Robinson 44 was only in the air for four minutes before it crashed, with witnesses claiming the chopper was flying at a high speed and low to the ground.
The crash caused a massive fire on the roof of the hotel and a mass evacuation of up to 400 guests and staff during the early hours.
An 83-year-old man and a 76-year-old woman were taken to Cairns Hospital in a stable condition after they were assessed by paramedics.
Debris from the helicopter was found up to 80metres from where it crashed, with two of its rotor blades dislodging.
One of the blades was found in the hotel pool, located on the bottom floor, while the second landed on the Cairns Esplanade opposite the hotel.
Police have confirmed the pilot was the sole occupant of the helicopter and was declared dead at the scene.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk