ATSB says lessons may emerge from Cairns helicopter crash, as pilot is identified as member of ground crew
By Adam Stephen and Julius DennisSafety investigators are expected to complete their evidence collection at the site of helicopter crash in Far North Queensland today.
The helicopter piloted by Nautilus Aviation ground crew member Blake Wilson crashed into the Double Tree Hilton in Cairns early Monday morning, killing him and injuring two guests.
Investigators believe the helicopter was taken from the Cairns Airport before flying into the no-fly zone over the CBD.
Loading...Nautilus Aviation chief executive Aaron Finn said Mr Wilson — who worked at the company for about four months — held a New Zealand pilot's licence but had never flown in Australia.
The crash happened after an informal send-off party for Mr Wilson who had been promoted within the company, Mr Finn said.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said in a statement they had examined the site and wreckage, collecting helicopter instrumentation from which recorded data of its last flight will be downloaded and analysed.
The ATSB said investigators also "interviewed the operator and witnesses and collected CCTV footage and air traffic control surveillance information".
"The ATSB conducts 'no blame' transport safety investigations to uncover and share safety concerns and lessons," it said.
"As the flight was undertaken by a pilot who the operator has stated was not authorised to fly the helicopter, the ATSB may elect to discontinue the investigation.
"[However], based on the evidence gathered to date, the ATSB has assessed that other safety lessons may emerge from this accident."
The ATSB is expected to publish a preliminary report on the incident in 6 to 8 weeks.
'Sliding scale' of security at airports
Dr John Coyne, the head of the border security program at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said incidents like this are rare but must be learned from.
"Just because it isn't a terrorist incident doesn't mean we shouldn't take lessons from it," he said.
Dr Coyne said there was a "sliding scale" of security at airports in Australia.
He said it was logical that smaller airports take less security measures than in capital cities but urged operators to consider both cost and risk of securing their hangars.
"In terms of all those small operators out there, this type of event should be a situation where you review security procedures, where you look at who has access," he said.
"There is no reason why all ground crew staff should have access to aircraft after hours."
Speaking on Tuesday, Queensland Premier Steven Miles said it was "too early to tell" if there needed to be a review into airport security.
While he declined to speak specifics, Dr Coyne said all aviation companies "should go through company procedures".
"One data point doesn't make a pattern or trend — what I would hope is that business owners look at an incident like this and go through at least some process to review their security arrangements," he said.
"Do I have a vulnerability? And what can I do to mitigate that vulnerability?"