A report into the Australian helicopter crash that left four people dead has raised questions over if the pilot made a radio call before take off.
Michael James was coming into land near the SeaWorld Marine Park on Australia's Gold Coast on January 2 when his aircraft collided with another helicopter piloted by Ashley Jenkinson. Jenkinson, 40, and three of his passengers - British couple Ron and Diane Hughes, 65 and 57, and Vanessa Tadros, 36 - were all killed in the horror crash.
James said he "did not recall" his fellow pilot making a standard taxiing call to say he was taking off before the crash. He said he thought the second helicopter would pass behind his aircraft, according to a preliminary report by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).
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The report continued: “They did not recall the pilot of XKQ making a standard ‘taxiing’ call announcing their intention to depart."
A third helicopter pilot in the area at the time recalled hearing James’ inbound call, but did not recall hearing a call from Jenkinson taking off. A fourth helicopter pilot could not recall hearing calls from either of the two aircraft before they crashed.
However, the ATSB’s commissioner, Angus Mitchell, said that evidence “did not necessarily mean that a taxiing call was not made”, and investigators would probe the radio calls in the lead-up to the crash.
He added: “While video footage taken by passengers in both helicopters on mobile phones contained images of the other helicopter, this does not mean that the other helicopter was visible to either pilot. The investigation will look closely at the issues both pilots faced in seeing the other helicopter.”
A full ATSB report into the collision is not expected until at least September 2024.
Four people died and nine people were hurt in the mid-air crash. A 10-year-old boy remains in hospital after undergoing a leg amputation, while two other victims, a mother and her nine-year-old son, are recovering from their injuries.
James, who managed to land his aircraft safely, was injured by shard of flying glass, along with two of his six passengers.
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