A pilot who was killed in a Sea World helicopter crash in Australia alongside two British newlyweds and a mother from Sydney had cocaine in his system at the time of the incident, a report has found.
Ron and Diane Hughes, from Liverpool, were killed on 2 January last year when two helicopters crashed mid-air on Queensland’s Gold Coast, where the newlyweds had been visiting their daughter and grandchildren.
Sea World Helicopters chief pilot Ashley Jenkinson and Vanessa Tadros, a 36-year-old mother from Sydney, were also killed in the crash. Her 10-year-old son Nicolas survived but suffered critical injuries and spent days in a coma.
One year on from the horror crash, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau has released an interim report finding Mr Jenkinson had low levels of cocaine in his system when the two helicopters collided.
The report states that cocaine can have harmful effects on pilot performance including risktaking, inattentiveness and poor impulse control. However, the report concluded that it was “unlikely” the low levels of cocaine in Mr Jenkinson’s system would have affected his flying.
British newlyweds Ron and Diane Hughes had travelled to Australia to visit Mr Hughes daughter Jane Manns, her husband Ben Manns and their children— (Facebook)
“A forensic pharmacologist engaged by the ATSB has stated that the very low concentrations of these metabolites suggest exposure was not likely to have occurred in the 24 hours prior to the accident,” ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said.
“It is unlikely there would have been impairment of the pilot’s psychomotor skills.”
The interim report found that one of the helicopters involved was taking off and the other landing when they collided on Main Beach.
Witnesses described seeing the crash while standing in line for rides at the nearby theme park, with one of the helicopters “plummeting to the ground nose-first”.
One of the helicopters appeared to have been taking off and the other landing when they collided on Main Beach on Australia’s Gold Coast last year.— (AP)
The second helicopter involved was able to safely land on the sandbank with all occupants, including its pilot Michael James, surviving the crash.
After the report was published, Ms Tadros’s husband Simon Tadros told Nine News that he believes she would have been “livid” at the findings.
“It was a bombshell for me. I was gut-wrenched, I had mixed emotions from being absolutely disappointed to completely furious,” Mr Tadros told the Australian broadcaster.
“It’s raised a lot of questions for me, in terms of how was any pilot allowed to fly, knowing that he had traces of cocaine in him? Where’s the drug screening?
“There are so many aspects to this that are not adding up.”
Ron Hughes’s daughter Jane Manns, who lives in Australia reminisced on the last few days she had with her father - who had come to visit her with his wife.
“He was getting reflective on life ‘I am getting older now and just wake up every morning and think how lucky [I am] I’ve got another day,” she told Brisbane’s Courier Mail newspaper on the anniversary of her father’s death.
“That’s literally what he said [to me]. It’s so weird looking back on that conversation.”
The family are yet to comment on the findings of the report.
Ms Tadros’ husband said his late wife would have been ‘livid’ at the report— (Supplied)
Mr Jenkinson’s family have pleaded that the findings of the report shouldn’t tarnish the pilot’s memory.
“We know there will be significant attention to this finding. We request people not be distracted by this one element of the interim report or this be the sole focus of the report,” they said in a statement.
“It seems clear there were multiple issues with communication infrastructure, visibility, congestion and safety protocols identified among others.”
The ATSB’s investigation - which used smartphone footage and witness statements - revealed that some passengers weren’t wearing their seatbelts properly.
Mr Mitchell said there was a lack of understanding in the helicopter tourism industry about how “constant wear lifejackets” should be worn alongside seatbelts.
Communication issues were also identified in the report. The pilot of the other helicopter, Michael James, recalled seeing passengers load Mr Jenkinson’s helicopter and said he assessed that they would be clear of one another. Therefore, they did not make any further radio calls.
In the preliminary report, Mr James also told investigators he didn’t hear any alert from the system announcing Mr Jenkinson was taking off before the collision.
Departure calls, position reports, and inbound calls from Mr James can be heard clearly throughout the day, the report found. However, Mr Jenskinson featured only in broken transmissions.
The report also said that before departure, a passenger recalled that Mr Jenkinson advised the passengers to ‘talk amongst yourselves’, and the passenger did not recall hearing the pilot make any other calls.
Seven occupants of the second helicopter, including its pilot Michael James, survived the crash.— (AP)
Mr Jenskinson’s family added: “We urge that this finding does not tarnish the memory of Ashley, the person he was, the friend he was and all the hours and days of good deeds he did during his lifetime.”
ATSB said that the report is intended to update the industry and public on the progress of their independent “no blame” investigation. It is being conducted with the goal of improving transport safety rather than appointing blame.
Since the accident, Sea World Helicopters has introduced a new traffic advisory role and additional air traffic systems. They have also increased communication protocols and additional steps to improve visibility.
The ATSB’s final report, which will include analysis, findings, and any recommended safety actions, is on track for an anticipated completion in the third quarter of 2024.
“This was a tragic accident, and it is our responsibility to make findings and drive safety actions, which reduce the likelihood of a similar occurrence in the future,” Mr Mitchell said.
