Civil Helicopters News

Australia Helicopter Collision Kills Four

Australia Helicopter Collision Kills Four

Four people have died and three people were seriously injured after two helicopters collided near Sea World on Australia’s Gold Coast.

According to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) the accident happened at about 14:00 local time on January 2 when one landing aircraft carrying six people on board collided with another one that was taking off with seven passengers.

The main rotors of the ascending helicopter collided with the windscreen of the descending helicopter, causing four deaths and three injuries. The other aircraft managed to make an emergency landing, with passengers sustaining non-life-threatening injuries.

The Queensland Police said they had tried to remove the survivors from the aircraft on the sand bank.

“It’s a difficult scene. Due to the area it’s located, on the sand bank, it was difficult to gain access, to get our emergency services to the scene to manage it appropriately,” Gary Worrell of the Queensland Police Service said.

ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said a preliminary report will be made public within six to eight weeks, followed by a final report once the investigation is completed.

“At this stage, the helicopters are both being removed off the sandbar. They’ll be taken ashore where my investigators will get a better appreciation of exactly potentially what’s occurred,” Mitchell said.

INDUSTRY REPORTS