Helicopter company confirms employee Blake Wilson was responsible for fatal Cairns hotel crash

A ground crew employee of Nautilus Aviation who had recently been promoted has been confirmed as the pilot of a helicopter that crashed into a Cairns hotel.

The young man killed when the helicopter he was flying crashed into a Cairns hotel, was a ground crew employee at Nautilus Aviation who had been celebrating his promotion hours before the unauthorised flight.

Blake Wilson, 23, only joined Nautilus four months ago after relocating from Christchurch in New Zealand.

Although he held a New Zealand commercial pilot’s helicopter licence Mr Wilson had never flown in Australia or for Nautilus, and was not authorised to fly their helicopters.

In a tragic twist, Nautilus confirmed there had been a gathering of some employees on Sunday night, including off-duty pilots to “send-off the individual involved in Monday morning’s incident”.

It was revealed Mr Wilson had recently been promoted to a ground crew position at another of Nautilus Aviation’s bases, on Long Island in the Whitsundays.

“This was not a work event and was co-ordinated by friends,” said the statement.

“We offer our heartfelt condolences to the individual’s family and all who have been affected by this tragedy and continue to offer our support to our employees during this very challenging period.”

Blake Wilson who died in a helicopter crash in Cairns. Picture: Facebook

Facebook photo of Blake Wilson who died in a helicopter crash in Cairns.

The young pilot posted just months ago about how excited he was for his “next adventure”. 

In March he posted on Instagram about how excited he was for his next adventure in Far North Queensland. 

“I’m very proud to announce that I’m officially a Commercial Helicopter Pilot.

It was a busy 18 months of hard mahi (work), late nights in the books and some challenging days in the seat but all up an incredible experience,” he captioned the post. 

“Big thanks to Christchurch Helicopters for giving me the opportunity and tools to launch into the start of my career. 

Deceased New Zealand pilot Blake Wilson who died when the helicopter he was piloting crashed into a Cairns hotel on Monday morning.

“Also my friends, family and others who have supported me and helped me fulfil this dreams. “It’s the closure of the first chapter in this adventure and I look forward to many more.”

The young man shared multiple pictures from his time training to be a helicopter pilot. 

In one post he described training to be “one of the harder but most rewarding things I’ve done.”

The function attended by Mr Wilson ended about 11.30pm, and was not held at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel where the crash occurred.

The statement went on to say the company had provided his details to police, and had completed interviews with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

Nautilus Aviation CEO Aaron Finn said the young worker was a “great employee” who was excited about his future.

“We are all devastated,” Mr Finn added.

Mr Wilson grew up in the NZ North Island city of Palmerston North, attending Palmerston North Boys’ High School whose rector, David Bovey, described him as a “good fella.”

“He was a good fella, Blake,” Mr Bovey told Radio NZ, confirming that Mr Wilson left school in 2018.

“He was academically pretty good, I think he got all levels of NCEA with a merit endorsement, but he was a friendly, personable young man.”

The young man was involved in “all sorts of things”, played tennis, and was a mentor to a junior class, said Mr Bovey.

“It’ll hit the staff because ... I mean, it’s not that long ago that Blake was here, they’ll know Blake, and they’ll be feeling it,” he said.

“It’s always terribly sad when when somebody this age dies and in such a tragic accident.

“It’s just really, really sad for his family.”

The flight from Cairns Airport early Monday morning was “unauthorised and unplanned”, and ended just a few minutes later when the R44 Robinson helicopter crashed into the roof of the DoubleTree by Hilton.

Australian Transport Safety Bureau chief commissioner Angus Mitchell addresses the media about the investigation into a helicopter crash in Cairns. Picture: Brendan Radke

A review by Cairns Airport of the area where the helicopter was taken from found no compromise of airport security processes.

The ATSB confirmed the helicopter had flown for just 4 to 5 minutes prior to impact, with witnesses suggesting the flight appeared “low and erratic”.

Commenting on the bizarre sequence of events, ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said the bureau typically limited its investigations to matters of transport safety.

“This is going to be an interesting one, a little bit different to what we would normally investigate,” he said.

After taking off from Cairns Airport about 1.48am, the chopper flew over the metropolitan area then out to sea before returning and crashing into the hotel.

Cairns Esplanade is a “no-fly zone” and no flight plan was submitted for the early morning outing.

Locals said it was raining at the time and visibility would likely have been poor.

Authorities remained incredulous that no-one else was killed or badly injured in the incident, with police suggesting it could have had a much worse outcome.

An elderly couple, whose room was directly below the point of impact, were released from Cairns base hospital on Monday after undergoing treatment for shock.

Mr Mitchell said flying a helicopter was not something “anyone could do”.

“You do need to have someone that has quite detailed knowledge of the helicopter itself and how to fly it,” Mr Mitchell said.

It was unclear if the ATSB would continue with the investigation, given the circumstances but a decision was not expected until Wednesday.

A spokeswoman for DoubleTree by Hilton said the hotel would remain closed as they ascertained the full extent of damage.

“Due to ongoing investigations and the need for us to ensure that the hotel is completely safe before reopening, we cannot yet provide a definitive reopening date,” she said.

Guests were being accommodated at alternative sites, due to the fact Hilton Cairns was currently running at full occupancy.

“We are actively working on a solution for the coming days,” said the spokeswoman.

Originally published as Helicopter company confirms employee Blake Wilson was responsible for fatal Cairns hotel crash