SeaWorld Helicopters Gold Coast crash: Experts reveal how it happened
The son of the New Zealand tourists who survived the deadly Sea World Helicopters mid-air collision has thanked hero pilot Michael James for “saving my parents”.
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THE SON of the New Zealand tourists who survived the deadly Sea World Helicopters mid-air collision has thanked hero pilot Michael James for “saving my parents”.
The 52-year-old aviator, who remains in hospital after undergoing surgery to have collision shrapnel removed, has been hailed a hero for the miracle survival of all five of his passengers.
He managed to control and land his helicopter on a sandbank despite being injured in the collision. The other chopper’s rotor shattered his windscreen and smashed the forward section of his fuselage at the time.
His colleague and pilot of the other chopper Ash Jenkinson was killed along with three passengers - British couple Ron and Diane Hughes, and Sydney mother Vanessa Tadros.
Among Mr James’ passengers were Auckland friends Riaan and Elmarie Steenberg and Marle and Edwart Swart.
All four Kiwis, aged in their 40s, were taken to Gold Coast University Hospital where Mrs Steenberg and Mrs Stewart remained on Wednesday in a stable condition.
The Steenbergs’ son, Enrico, shared his gratitude for Mr James whose landing has been described by an expert as an “extraordinary feat of airmanship”.
“Thx to the pilot for saving my parents from the crash and all prayers to the family who lost their loved ones,” Enrico wrote to Instagram.
The landing also saved the lives of a 27-year-old Western Australian woman also on board.
Witnesses to the collision have described Mr James’ chopper as wobbling before he steadied it and landed, calling the feat “medal” worthy.
The Steenbergs and the Swarts were enjoying an idyllic holiday together in south east Queensland.
Mr James is a long-time pilot with significant experience in aviation.
He is highly regarded by fellow pilots and leading tourism industry figures, with one calling him “bloody good”.
“He’s a very experienced pilot who is bloody good at what he does,” one industry figure told the Bulletin. “He’s very skilled and has shown this over a number of years.”
Mr James’ skills as both a pilot and tour guide have been highlighted in many online reviews of Sea World Helicopters in recent years.
He is praised by the company’s customers for his knowledge of the Gold Coast and its landmarks, as well as his warm manner with people.
Customer ‘Michael S’ wrote in July: “The pilot Michael we had today was a fantastic pilot and host. Very very knowledgeable and just a beautiful flight over the Gold Coast. Definitely recommend.”
Another, Neha Mougdgill said in August: “It was my son’s birthday and helicopter pilot Michael allowed him to sit at the front to enjoy the view better. It was a wonderful experience and would highly recommend.”
Amrutha Venugopal wrote in October: “The pilot was so cool and breathtakingly handsome! He totally looked like Tom Cruise!!”
Rob Ashdown wrote in December: “Just outstanding. Thanks to Michael the pilot for an outstanding job and to ground crew and office staff for their professionalism.
Adrian Brighty his family had “enjoyed every minute of the flight” with Mr James.
“Michael the pilot was very friendly and informative. 5 out of 5. Thank you for a wonderful experience, to all the staff.”
Amanda Blackney took a flight with Mr James with her family mid last year for her 30th wedding anniversary.
She thanked Mr James, saying: “My son conquered his fear of flying and I thought it was exhilarating. Thanks to Michael our pilot”.
In October 2022, Mr James flew a special flight for a young man, Chris who marked his 35th birthday with a trip over the Broadwater.
Organised by Ambulance Wish Queensland, the 10-minute flight allowed the man, who was being cared for by the Robina Hospital Palliative Care Unit, to get a tour of the Gold Coast’s skies.
Pictures taken to mark the occasion show Chris and Mr James posing together shaking hands and giving the thumbs up while wearing matching aviator sunglasses.
With dad, Garry and twin brothers Oliver and Adrian watching from the helipad, a beaming “Chris, mum Delita and Robina Hospital Palliative Care Unit clinical escort George, boarded a helicopter at SeaWorld for an aerial tour of the stunning Gold Coast Broadwater for a 10-minute joy ride,” an Ambulance Wish Queensland article on the flight reads.
“Wearing matching Aviator’s to the pilot, Chris clearly enjoyed being the star of his own action movie.
“As the chopper returned to earth, it was clear to everyone involved that Chris was still up in the air on cloud nine as the wish of a lifetime came true.”
Mr Jenkinson was a popular figure, had just recently become a dad and flew mercy missions in the Northern Rivers flood disaster last year.
‘Astonished he landed it’: Meet pilot lauded for saving six lives
The helicopter pilot who steadied and landed it after colliding with another is being lauded for saving six lives in an “extraordinary feat of airmanship”.
The pilot, Michael James, 52, was admitted to Gold Coast University Hospital and underwent surgery on Tuesday to remove shrapnel from wounds suffered in the shocking mid-air collision which left four people dead.
Mr James is now recovering from his surgery and yet to speak with police to give his account.
Mr James was returning from a sightseeing flight when the collision occurred and his entire windscreen was shattered. Still, he was able to somehow navigate his badly-damaged aircraft to a nearby sand bank.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau’s (ATSB) investigation is in its second day, with the focus on how the two vehicles, new model Airbus Eurocopters, collided in clear conditions at 2pm on Monday.
SeaWorld Helicopters chief pilot Ash Jenkinson at the controls of one took off from the helipad just before 2pm and moved south, initial investigations say.
It was in the air for just under 20 seconds when it collided mid-air with another chopper from the same company.
The main rotor from Mr Jenkinson’s helicopter collided with the front of the fuselage of the other chopper, destroying that one’s window and showering Mr James and passengers in plexiglas.
The rotor sheered off in the collision, causing Mr Jenkinson’s crippled helicopter to plummet to the ground, killing four people – Mr Jenkinson, British couple Ron and Diane Hughes, and Sydney mother Vanessa Tadros.
Witnesses have described the feat by Mr James as “medal” worthy.
Aviation expert Geoff Thomas, with more than 45 years industry experience, described it as “an extraordinary feat of airmanship”.
“It’s just amazing, it’s an incredible feat to do that given the level of damage and that he would have been hurt with glass and perspex everywhere,” he told the Bulletin.
“It was an extraordinary feat of airmanship and he saved lives there is no doubt about it.
“When I looked at the images, I was astonished at the damage and that he was able to land it at all.”
Mr Thomas said neither pilot may have been able to see each other.
“People do not appreciate that, when looking down, you can’t see a helicopter up from the surroundings. It is very difficult to see aircraft against the ground,” he said.
“My sense is that was a factor given both pilots were highly regarded and highly experienced.
“It may have been a blind-spot situation. It is just a terrible tragedy.”
He questioned whether both helicopters were equipped with Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems (TCAS) which sound alarms with other aircraft are nearby.
Investigators have removed equipment from both wreckages.
Aviation Projects managing director Keith Tonkins, a respected industry expert, also praising the helicopter pilot for landing it.
“It would have been very stressful. I’ve seen the images after it landed with the front windscreen gone and it would have been very shocking,’ he said.
“Even if it were still flyable, being involved in something like that would be difficult and he has done an outstanding job.”
Authorities probing the crash do not believe there was any foul play or that either pilot was skylarking.
ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said they had no preliminary theories about the cause of the crash.
“We have a reasonable understanding of what the helicopters were doing in those critical stages of flight (take off and landing),” he said.
“But exactly why this occurred, what the range of visibility for both the pilots, what was happening inside the cabins at the time – they are the things that will help us piece together potentially what might have been a contributing factor here.
“But it’s still very early in the investigation to start speculating.”
Mr Mitchell said the ATSB would be looking at video taken by witnesses, CCTV from nearby buildings and recording devices within the helicopters.
They would also examine the wreckage, he said.
ATSB investigators removed pieces of evidence considered perishable last night and were in the process of removing the remains of the helicopter from the sand bank.
Mr Mitchell said it would be a “painstaking” task to recreate what occurred the moments before the crash.
He said they would also be looking at how the helipad operated.
“In any helicopter operations, what we’ll have a look at now is what were the processes and procedures in place operating out of Sea World,” Mr Mitchell said.
“Were they followed? Were they sufficient?
“Again, it’s very early days but what we are keen to know is what those two helicopters were doing at the time.
“What were those processes in place to protect helicopters, particularly in those phases of flight.”
Mr Tonkins, who has more than 37 years experience in both the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and private sector, described it as “deeply sad” and said the investigation would look into both what occurred in the air but the procedures and practices at the SeaWorld Helicopters heliport.
“It is a very professional operation and well-established so given the level of complexity there, they would have very robust procures about arrivals and departures,” he said.
“It is shocking it has occurred given there were clear conditions but it comes down to pilots looking out the window and being aware of the traffic in the vicinity.
“We do not know what as broken down here but something happened.”
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