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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
William Mata

Australia: Video shows moment passenger warns pilot before mid-air helicopter crash at Gold Coast Sea World

A passenger inside a helicopter can be seen tapping the pilot moments before a deadly-mid air collision in Australia.

The new video shows the pilot Michael James being alerted to the danger before the impact with another helicopter.

A British couple and two Australians died in the impact on Monday afternoon on Australia’s Gold Coast.

The footage, published by Australia’s 7 News - was filmed on board a Sea World sightseeing helicopter which managed to land safely after the impact, although five of the six on board suffered injuries.

The film cuts off as a rotor from the other helicopter crashes through the windscreen. The helicopter landed on a sand bank.

As well as four people killed in the other helicopter, three others were badly injured. The second helicopter was also a tourist flight being operated for Sea World.

Investigations are currently ongoing as to the cause of the mid-air crash.

Air safety commissioner Angus Mitchell told reporters on Wednesday: “What we do need to know now is what was occurring inside those two cockpits at the time.”

The helicopters operate on a quick turnaround, offering a five minute ride for AUS$85 or ten minutes for AUS$145.

Accidents of this nature are extremely rare.

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