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Australia helicopter collision: Pilot did not hear radio call, interim report says Australia helicopter collision: Pilot did not recall hearing radio call - report
(about 1 hour later)
Two Australians and a British couple died in the mid-air crashTwo Australians and a British couple died in the mid-air crash
A helicopter pilot did not recall hearing a radio call from another helicopter shortly before a deadly mid-air collision in Australia, a report has suggested. A helicopter pilot said he did not hear a vital radio call shortly before a deadly mid-air collision in Australia, according to an interim report.
The interim accident report also said the pilots may not have been able to see each other. The report also said the pilots may not have been able to see each other.
A British couple were among four people killed when the two helicopters collided off the Gold Coast in January. The two helicopters collided off the Gold Coast in January, killing four people and injuring several.
One helicopter crashed, while the other managed to land with heavy damage. One helicopter, which had just taken off, ended up crashing. The other, which was returning, managed to land with heavy damage.
The helicopters were being used for short sightseeing trips by Sea World Helicopters. One was coming in to land, while the other had just taken off. The aircraft were used for short sightseeing trips by Sea World Helicopters.
"The report details the calls made by the pilot of the returning helicopter and as they tracked south… that they saw passengers boarding the second helicopter as it was preparing to depart," Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said. The report released by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) details the calls made by Michael James, who was piloting the returning helicopter.
"The pilot of the returning helicopter recalled that the assessment was that the departing helicopter would pass behind them and that they did not recall the pilot making a standard taxiing call, thereby announcing their intentions to depart." He said he saw passengers boarding the other helicopter as it was preparing to depart. He did not see it take off, but he thought it would pass behind him.
Mr Mitchell said this did not mean a taxiing call was not made, and that the ATSB would carry out a detailed analysis of radio activity at the time of the crash. He told investigators he "did not recall the pilot [of the other helicopter] making a standard taxiing call, thereby announcing their intentions to depart", according to the report.
Footage later emerged of one passenger trying to warn the pilot that another helicopter was approaching. The ATSB said this did not mean a taxiing call was not made, and that they would carry out a detailed analysis of radio activity at the time of the crash.
But the ATSB said this did not mean that the other helicopter was visible to either pilot. The pilot of the departing helicopter, 40-year-old Ashley Jenkinson, was killed in the crash.
British victims, Ron and Diane Hughes from Cheshire, were holidaying in Queensland at the time, police said. Footage later emerged of a passenger trying to warn a pilot that another aircraft was approaching.
An Australian woman, Vanessa Tadros, 36, also died in the crash, and her 10-year-old son was among the survivors but seriously injured. But the report said this did not mean that the two pilots had seen each other's helicopters.
The fourth fatality was Ashley Jenkinson, 40, an experienced pilot who lived in the area, but was reportedly originally from England. The two aircraft collided at a height of 130ft (39 metres), with the rotor blades of Mr Jenkinson's helicopter smashing into the cabin of the other, the report said.
Mr Jenkinson's helicopter broke apart and crashed into shallow water just off the shore, killing him and three passengers.
The ATSB said the "complex and comprehensive" investigation will scrutinise operating procedures to identify any underlying safety issues.
The helicopters were flying in non-controlled airspace, where pilots use a common radio frequency to communicate with other aircraft, the ATSB said.
The victims included a British couple, 65-year-old Ron and 57-year-old Diane Hughes from Cheshire, who were holidaying in Queensland at the time, police said.
Australian woman Vanessa Tadros, 36, also died in the crash, and her 10-year-old son Nicholas was among the seriously injured survivors.
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