Sea World crash families tell of ‘loss beyond measure’
The families of three tourists killed in the helicopter collision made emotional statements about their loss and their ongoing struggle, leaving the coroner visibly moved.
Sea World Helicopters pilot Ashley Jenkinson, 40, and three passengers died when his plane crashed into another helicopter during a pleasure flight near the Gold Coast theme park on January 2, 2023.
The adult children of British newlyweds Ronald and Diane Hughes, aged 65 and 57, were the first to give their family statements in the Brisbane Coroner’s Court on Friday, following several weeks of hearings spread over 15 months.
Ronald’s daughter, Jane Manns, said not a day goes by that she doesn’t remember her father.
“We miss him so much every day,” he said.
The couple were on their first holiday since the COVID-19 lockdown; Five days before the crash, Ronald was meeting one of his grandchildren in person for the first time.
“She enjoyed every moment, letting him paint her nails, put on make-up and play endless games with her grandchildren,” Ms Manns said.
Ronald’s son Phil’s voice broke with emotion as he described his father’s absence at his upcoming wedding.
“I always imagined him as my best man: standing next to me, telling him I loved him and knowing how proud he was of the man I would become,” she said.
“More than anything, I wish I could hug her one last time before walking down the aisle.
“That moment was taken away from me.”
Sydney father Simon Tadros, who lost his wife Vanessa and seriously injured his son Nicholas in the crash, said he would not want his family’s ongoing daily pain and trauma to befall his worst enemy.
“It will be impossible for us to have closure because Vanessa is not with us and I have to see my son live with the consequences of this fatal day,” Mr. Tadros said.
Ms Lee was told Nicholas, who attended the inquest every day with his father, was still facing health problems and further surgeries after the crash, with the then 10-year-old boy left on life support and needing a leg amputation.
Mr. Tadros recalled the first time he met Vanessa at a cafe.
“The more I got to know him, the more I realized I wanted to be with him forever,” he said.
Sea World Helicopters attorney Michael Trim also released a statement expressing our “sincerest condolences” to the families who lost their loved ones in the “horrible accident.”
The coroner heard several weeks of evidence spread over three main hearing days from April 2025.
Tourist Winnie De Silva from Victoria relived what she thought she heard the helicopter hit a bird before crashing 40 meters onto the sand.
“There was a hot machine on my body. I was screaming and screaming,” he testified.
It was a scene of “absolute chaos”, he recalled, as police rushed to find survivors in the “shattered wreckage”.
Pilot Ashley Jenkinson, who died in the crash, later tested positive for traces of cocaine, the coroner heard.
Witnesses testified that they saw him snorting several lines of the drug after a New Year’s party in the days before the crash.
Giving evidence at the trial of mushroom killer Erin Patterson, Victoria’s chief forensic toxicologist Dimitri Gerostamoulos testified that Mr Jenkinson was likely affected by the after-effects of cocaine, alcohol and poor sleep.
Sea World Helicopters chief executive Brett Newman strongly denied any knowledge of Mr Jenkinson having any involvement with recreational drugs.
The company had doubled the number of flights for the busy holiday season, the coroner heard. “One of the busiest air corridors in the country.”
Village Roadshow Theme Parks, which owns Sea World, sold its amusement flights operation in 2019 to Sea World Helicopters, which recently dropped the Sea World name.
Both the Hughes and Tadros families thanked the coroner and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau who investigated the crash and hoped it would prevent a similar tragedy in the future.
The investigation will spend the next few months taking written submissions from interested parties.
