Sea World helicopter pilot Ashley Jenkinson had low levels of cocaine in system at time of crash

The helicopter pilot who died alongside three passengers on a routine sightseeing tour on the Gold Coast has had low levels of cocaine in system at time of last year’s crash, a new report from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau has revealed.

Queensland Police and ATSB Officers recover the wreckage after four people were killed when two helicopters collided near SeaWorld last year.

The pilot killed alongside three others in the Sea World Helicopter crash on the Gold Coast last year had cocaine in his system, a toxicology report has revealed.

An interim transport safety report released by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) on the first anniversary of the incident found long-time pilot Ashley Jenkinson had likely ingested the substance alongside typical cutting agent called levamisole in the days leading up to the crash. However, ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said it was unlikely to have affected his flying ability on the day.

“A forensic pharmacologist engaged by the ATSB has stated that the very low concentrations of these metabolites suggest exposure was not likely to have occurred in the 24 hours prior to the accident, and it is unlikely there would have been impairment of the pilot’s psychomotor skills,” Mr Mitchell said.

Pilot Ashley Jenkinson. Picture: SeaWorld Helicopters

It is likely the cocaine was used within four days of the crash, according to the report. While it unlikely to have caused a direct impairment, it is unclear whether “post-cocaine exposure effects of the drug which can include fatigue, depression and inattention have any effect on the performance of the pilot.”

Mr Jenkinson – who was also firefighter trained – was the line pilot for Sea World Helicopters at the time of the incident and had flown 47.7 hours in the month leading up. He was also the business’s drug and alcohol management plan supervisor.

Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate said there should have been no amount of drugs in the pilot’s system when he flew that day.

“It’s poor performance on the pilot to have any trace,” he said.

The ATSB is conducting an independent ‘no blame’ investigation to help improve safety standards following the tragic summer holiday crash. Mr Mitchell said the investigation would consider whether any systemic factors contributed to, or increased risk in the accident.

“This will include consideration of the design of the operating environment and operating procedures, the onboarding and implementation of aircraft, change management, and the regulatory environment and input,” he explained.

The second of two Sea World helicopters which collided into each other with for people so far loosing their lives is transported from the sandbank they landed on. Picture NewsWire / David Clark

On the sunny and clear day of January 2, 2023, Mr Jenkinson was taking off from the Sea World theme park at Main Beach to commence a 10-minute sightseeing tour with six passengers on board. Within seconds of takeoff, the helicopter collided with another coming into land before plummeting onto a sandbar in the Broadwater in front of families.

Mr Jenkinson was killed instantly alongside British tourists Ron and Diane Hughes, who were seated to his right. In the second row of seats were two mothers and their sons. Sydney mum Vanessa Tadros died while her son Nicholas had his right leg amputated. Survivors Winnie and Leon De Silva returned home to Geelong.

Video evidence was used to help inform the investigation, with 87 members of the public providing information, which was used alongside CCTV footage from the aircraft. Four phones were also recovered from the crash site, three of which were downloaded by Queensland Police.

Both helicopters were fitted with TCAS I alert and collision avoidance systems.

Sea World Helicopters – which is an operation run independently of the theme park – has already introduced several safety improvements, including the new traffic advisory role of “Pad Boss”, increased communication protocols for pilots and improved aircraft visibility, among others.

The final report is expected in the third quarter of this year.