() – The pilot who died when a helicopter crashed into the roof of a luxury hotel in Cairns, Australia on Monday, was an employee of the charter flight company that owned the vehicle, but was not authorized to fly, the group confirmed in a statement.
Hundreds of guests and staff at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel were evacuated when the helicopter crashed into the building near the Cairns Esplanade, a promenade popular with travelers in the northern Queensland city, early Monday.
Flames shot into the sky after the aircraft burst into flames, spilling fuel across the top of the hotel and damaging some upper windows of the seven-story building.
Nautilus Aviation said Tuesday that the pilot had been with the company for four months and had attended a party the night before the accident to celebrate his promotion to another ground crew position with the firm at another base.
Two tourists who had been sleeping on the upper floor of the hotel were taken to hospital with minor injuries.
Acting Deputy Commissioner of the Queensland Police, Shane Holmes, declared on Monday that the pilot had carried out “an unauthorized flight”, but declined to comment on whether the helicopter had been stolen or if the accident was deliberate, and stated that all lines of investigation remained open.
Angus Mitchell, chief commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), said investigators believe the helicopter took off from the general aviation hangar at Cairns airport, about 5 kilometers from the hotel.
“We know that visibility was low at the time and that it was possibly raining,” he said.
“We want to understand what the helicopter was equipped with, but also potentially what the helicopter was doing at the time and any other details of the flight.”
Witness Veronica Knight, who was visiting Cairns from Sydney, was sitting on the concourse, talking on the phone after midnight, when she saw a helicopter pass low over the water.
He was going “at full speed,” he told . He disappeared from sight for a few minutes, and she began walking towards her house before seeing the helicopter flying back. As he pulled out his phone to record it, the helicopter turned and headed straight toward nearby, well-lit buildings.
Seconds later, he crashed into the roof of the hotel, shortly before 2 in the morning.
Knight’s videos show the orange glow of flames and smoke coming from the hotel’s rooftop, while sirens wail in the distance.
He said the helicopter had passed over trees and another taller building before crashing into the roof of the hotel.
“[El piloto] I would have known those buildings were there,” Knight said.
In a statement to , DoubleTree by Hilton Cairns said all of its guests – 421 adults and 50 children, plus two staff members – were evacuated safely.
Other investigators include the forensic accident unit and the ATSB, which sent a team to the crash site on Monday to gather evidence and conduct interviews.
The office asked witnesses who had photos or videos of the helicopter to contact authorities through its website.
“This was not a work event and was coordinated by friends,” the statement said.
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