The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has released a preliminary report in relation to a mid-air crash between two sightseeing helicopters on the Gold Coast which resulted in the death of British couple Diane and Ron Hughes.
The couple, from Neston, Cheshire, died in the collision at around 2pm local time on Monday January 2 in Main Beach, not far from Sea World in the state of Queensland. Queensland Police said the pilot and three passengers had died at the scene, including the pair from the UK – 57-year-old Mrs Hughes and 65-year-old Mr Hughes – and a woman, 36, from Glenmore Park, New South Wales.
The report details factual information and the accident’s sequence of events but contains no findings. The ATSB said the investigation will look closely at the issues both pilots faced in seeing the other helicopter, the nature of radio calls made, operator procedures and regulatory approvals.
The report said the two Eurocopter EC130 helicopters were being operated by Sea World Helicopters (a separate corporate entity to the theme park) on five-minute scenic flights.
One helicopter with a pilot and five passengers on board was on an approach to land at a helipad adjacent to the Sea World theme park and the second, with a pilot and six passengers, had just departed a separate but nearby helipad within the theme park when they collided above the Broadwater, the ATSB said.
While video footage taken by passengers in both helicopters on mobile phones contained images of the other helicopter, the ATSB said this did not mean that the other helicopter was visible to either pilot. ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said: “The ATSB has released this preliminary report to detail the circumstances of this tragic accident as we currently understand them, but it is important to stress that we are yet to make findings.
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“Our findings as to the contributing factors to this accident, and the analysis to support those findings, will be detailed in a final report to be released at the conclusion of our investigation.” He added: “The investigation will look closely at the issues both pilots faced in seeing the other helicopter.
“We have already generated a 3D model of the view from the pilot’s seat from an exemplar EC130 helicopter which we will use as part of a detailed visibility study to help the investigation determine the impediments both pilots faced in sighting the other helicopter.” Mr Mitchell said the investigation will also look more broadly beyond the issues of radio calls and visibility.
“The ATSB will also consider the operator’s procedures and practices for operating scenic flights in the Sea World area and the process for implementing the recently-acquired EC130 helicopters into operation, and will review the regulatory surveillance of the operator and similar operators.”
He said it will be “a complex and comprehensive investigation”, adding that if the ATSB identifies a critical safety issue during the investigation, it will immediately alert the relevant parties so they can take appropriate action.
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