Ground worker blamed herself for horror chopper crash

A young ground crew member gave the helicopter pilot a “thumbs up” for takeoff less than a minute before a fatal mid-air collision, the coroner heard.

Four people have died after two helicopters collided outside the Sea World theme park on the Gold Coast in one of Australia’s worst air crashes.

Queensland Coroner Carol Lee heard evidence on Tuesday on the second day of the inquest into the disaster that also injured nine people on January 2, 2023.

Grace Hickey stated that she previously worked for a company that operated tourist entertainment flights outside Sea World.

“I blamed myself a lot for this, even though I didn’t do anything that could have helped it,” she said.

Ms. Hickey’s responsibilities included selling tickets and fitting life jackets and seat belts to passengers boarding helicopters.

Ms. Hickey said she was told to give a hold signal if there were boats or the company’s own helicopters or other companies’ helicopters nearby.

Ms. Hickey was not given a radio to communicate directly with the company’s pilots.

“If there was a helicopter coming, you would wait too,” he said.

“I didn’t see anything that day, so I gave the thumbs up. It was good to go.”

Ms Lee heard Ms Hickey had no previous work experience on a helipad but had a certificate in aviation ground handling.

About 25 seconds after pilot Ashley Jenkinson took off with a ‘thumbs up’ from Ms Hickey, his plane collided with another Sea World helicopter.

His plane crashed about 40 meters above the water, then hit the beach and rolled onto its roof.

In addition to Mr Jenkinson, 40, British newlyweds Ronald and Diane Hughes, 65 and 67, and Sydney mother Vanessa Tadros, 36, also died.

Michael James, the pilot of the second helicopter, also managed to make an emergency landing on the same beach.

After giving evidence and being cross-examined for more than an hour, Ms. Hickey broke down in tears as she left the stand.

Ms Lee also heard testimony from Jesse Wacker, a former pilot for Sea World Helicopters, a separate company from the theme park.

Mr. Wacker was not involved in the accident.

Ian Harvey, the barrister assisting the investigation, had previously told Ms Lee that pilot visibility on Sea World’s new EC130 aircraft was “clearly more restricted” than on older models.

“Were there discussions about the line of sight on the left side at this time (for sitting as a pilot) and the different geometry of the aircraft? That wasn’t part of the training?” Mr. Harvey said.

“Not then,” said Mr. Wacker.

Mr Wacker agreed with Mr Harvey that the Gold Coast was the busiest airfield in Australia during the peak holiday period and that he was concerned about mid-air collisions.

Mr. Wacker said Sea World’s other pilots turned down his suggestion to make more radio calls to warn others as a helicopter approached the helipad.

The investigation will examine 11 critical issues related to the accident over three weeks.