Sea World Helicopters crash: Widower hopes blame will be assigned

The husband and father of two Sea World Helicopters crash victims hopes an inquest will uncover who should be held liable.

The husband and father of two Sea World Helicopters crash victims hopes an inquest will uncover who should be held liable for allowing a major tourism operator to fly amid so many major safety breaches.

Simon Tadros – whose wife Vanessa was among four people killed in the January 2023 mid-air collision between two joy flight helicopters, and whose son Nicholas lost a leg in the disaster – said an upcoming coronial inquest had been a long time coming.

Mr Tadros revealed how he and his son were still struggling emotionally and financially, with the 12-year-old heartbreakingly forced to stop karate because he now needed a hip replacement.

Mr Tadros was speaking from his Sydney home after the Queensland coroner’s office on Tuesday announced details of the coronial inquiry, including the terms of reference and a pre-inquest hearing to be held in Brisbane on May 26.

The inquest will probe issues including whether Sea World Helicopters’ safe management systems were adequate and appropriate.

Simon Tadros with son Nicholas

It follows last week’s release of a damning report by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau which found multiple “compounding risk failures”, including a faulty radio and flawed “see and avoid” collision prevention strategy, contributed to the crash. Mr Tadros said he was “shocked” at the ATSB findings and broke down while reading the report.

“It was pretty gut-wrenching and hard to read,” he said.

“This was an accident that shouldn’t have happened and I said that from day one.

“The ATSB report basically proves that.”

While the ATSB does not apportion blame, Mr Tadros said he hoped the inquest would determine who should be held accountable for the loss of his wife and the horrific injuries suffered by his son.

“How can any organisation be able to run their business with so many safety breaches, and no-one picks up on it?” he said.

“There has to be some kind of auditing process or regulations that Sea World Helicopters have to answer to, to make sure that everything is running properly and safely.

The wreckage of the two helicopters after the crash.

“To have 11 major safety breaches (uncovered by the ATSB) … that worries me.

“There have to be other parties that have to answer to this.

“I’m happy that an inquest is being held.

“Hopefully, it will get to the bottom of it so that people are held liable.”

Mr Tadros said Nicholas was struggling physically and mentally – missing his mum and forced to stop his beloved karate because of the need for a hip replacement as a result of having his right leg amputated.

“Overall, he’s staying strong, he’s staying resilient and he’s staying positive, but there are days when he breaks down, he misses his mum,” he said.

“He wishes this never happened and he says to me sometimes ‘Dad, I just want my leg back’.

“It’s a lot for a 12-year-old to process and deal with, but I’m very, very proud of the way he’s handled himself.”

Mr Tadros said he struggled emotionally and financially.

“It’s a bit hard to get on with life but Nicky and I support each other and take it one day at a time,” he said.

Originally published as Sea World Helicopters crash: Widower hopes blame will be assigned