ATSB finds pilot who died in helicopter crash into Cairns hotel was ‘influenced by alcohol’ Cairns

A pilot who died when the helicopter he was flying crashed into a Cairns hotel was “affected by a significant amount of alcohol” at the time, the country’s aviation safety investigator has found.

Investigators said on Thursday 23-year-old Blake Wilson took the helicopter from a hangar at the airport in far northern Queensland on an “unnecessary and unauthorized” flight after a night of drinking in August.

Wilson died when the Robinson R44 helicopter hit the roof of the DoubleTree by Hilton in Cairns’ central business district at around 2am, prompting the evacuation of about 400 guests. He was the only occupant of the helicopter.

“There was no airworthiness factor of the helicopter that likely contributed to this accident,” Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell told reporters.

“The flight was a deliberate act, but there was no evidence to explain the pilot’s intentions.”

The office’s final report found that Wilson “consumed significant alcohol consumption before and during the flight.”

“The pilot further increased the risk to himself and those on the ground by conducting the unauthorized flight well below the 1,000-foot altitude permitted for flights over built-up areas,” it said.

Witness reports confirmed that the pilot had been socializing and drinking alcohol at various locations in Cairns for his farewell party before the crash.

Wilson returned to his apartment at 11 p.m. before driving to the helicopter hangar of his employer, Nautilus Aviation, at around 1 a.m.

CCTV footage showed the helicopter taking off after 1.30am and flying for less than 20 minutes before crashing.

Wilson flew the helicopter twice over the business district, his home and along the marina before flying back toward the city center.

The final moments of the flight captured on video cameras showed the helicopter lifting before immediately descending steeply onto the roof of the hotel.

Parts of the rotor blade were found in hotel rooms, while other debris was scattered around the site and on the street.

Mitchell said it was fortunate that no hotel guests were seriously injured after two elderly visitors were treated for smoke inhalation.

The ATSB report found Wilson did not have the appropriate qualifications to fly the helicopter at night.

“While it was tragic that the young man lost his life, there was significant danger to others here in the Cairns area, which is why we have deployed resources to see what we can do based on all the evidence available,” Mitchell said on Thursday .

“It is fair to say that this is a very extraordinary set of circumstances which the ATSB must investigate.”

The pilot’s employer, Nautilus Aviation, previously said Wilson gained unauthorized access to the helicopter in its hangar following his non-company-coordinated going away party.

It said he had a New Zealand pilot’s license but had never flown in Australia and was not authorized to use a Nautilus Aviation helicopter. The charter company said Wilson had been employed as ground crew for four months.