Sydney mum Vanessa Tadros, British newlyweds Ron and Diane Hughes among victims of fatal Sea World helicopter collision
Vanessa Tadros, 36, was killed in the collision while her 10-year-old son remains critical; Britons Ron and Diane Hughes also died; as police flag charges against Sea World Helicopters.
A newlywed couple from England and a Sydney mum killed in a shocking mid-air helicopter crash on the Gold Coast on Monday have been identified.
Ron and Diane Hughes, aged 65 and 57, were visiting the Gold Coast from their home in Liverpool, England, when they boarded the doomed helicopter. They were married in August 2021 and had a next of kin who lives locally.
Sydney mother Vanessa Tadros, 36, was also killed after boarding the flight with her 10-year-old son Nicholas, who remains in a critical condition at Gold Coast University Hospital. The family had visited the popular holiday spot from Glenmore Park, northwest of Sydney.
The three were killed alongside experienced pilot Ash Jenkinson, 40, who was the chief pilot and head of operations at Sea World Helicopters.
Another woman, 33, and her 9-year-old son are fighting for their lives in hospital.
Criminal charges possible
Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll has left the door open for criminal charges to be laid upon Sea World Helicopters as the investigation continues, however, she did note it was still early in inquiries.
“All of the evidence will form part of the investigation, and at the end of the day, there will be conclusions drawn… and that (charges) may be the case,” Ms Carroll said.
“But, please be very mindful that it is early days and we have a lot of work to do.”
Acting premier Steven Miles said Queenslanders are grieving another tragedy, following the execution murders of two police officers and a neighbour at Wiembilla last month and the murder of North Lakes mother, Emma Lovell, during a home invasion on Boxing Day.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives as well as those currently receiving treatment for their injuries,” Mr Miles said.
“It’s time for us to do what Queenslanders do best, and that is to support each other, to help each other. Usually, at this time of year, it is through natural disasters - floods, cyclones, storms and bushfires - but we will recover from this tragedy too.”
ATSB investigates
Queensland Police and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) will continue to investigate today how the two helicopters collided as one was taking off and the other landing around 2pm, killing four people and injuring six others.
All who died and were seriously injured had been in the air for less than 20 seconds as their helicopter took off on a joy ride from the Sea World theme park at Southport when it collided with another aircraft that was landing, losing its propeller and gearbox before plummeting to the ground.
The descending helicopter managed to land safely, with occupants sustaining minor injuries and one who was uninjured. These included the 52-year-old pilot from Clontarf, a Western Australia woman, 27, and two families from New Zealand who were travelling together, a 44-year-old man and 43-year-old woman from one family and a 48-year-old man and 45-year-old woman from the other.
Chief commissioner of the ATSB Angus Mitchell said the high tide overnight has made the investigation difficult.
“While we did get a lot of that perishable evidence off the site last night, and the stuff we do really rely on, a lot of that electronic evidence, recording equipment,” Mr Mitchell said.
“We now have the painstaking job of recreating exactly what occurred in the lead-up to this tragic start to the New Year.”
Mr Mitchell said the damage to the left windscreen of the helicopter which managed to land suggests it was hit by the ascending aircraft, however, this has not been confirmed.
“We’ll certainly be looking at multiple lines of inquiry here around the procedures that were in place and potentially what has helped contribute to such a tragic outcome,” he said.
Eye-witness accounts and video footage captured by holiday makers at Sea World and across the Broadwater, recording equipment inside the aircraft and internal cameras will form evidence in the investigation, he said.
A report will be prepared for the coroner.
“We know the take-off and the landing phases of any aircraft operations are critical phases of flight where the cognitive workload of pilots are at their greatest. What we do need to know now is what was occurring inside the two cockpits at the time. We do have multiple accounts from witnesses and a video,” Mr Mitchell said.
Mr Mitchell said the helicopters were a “tourist flight” and said it was “remarkable” one of the pilots was able to land their helicopter safely and there were no more fatalities.
“We’ll have a better idea of exactly what was disrupted in that helicopter. What parts of the flight mechanisms were disrupted. But I would say at this stage, that we are very fortunate that we’re not standing here with far more deaths. Notwithstanding the fact that there’s four fatalities is a very tragic outcome,” Mr Mitchell said.
Pilot named as Ash Jenkinson
The mid-air crash stunned tourists and locals enjoying a sunny afternoon on the Broadwater between Southport and Surfers Paradise.
Video of the tragedy shows one of the aircraft lifting off a helipad operated by the theme park moments before it clipped the other at an estimated height of 500m, about 2pm local time.
In what appears to be a deadly mixup, the helicopter containing the four victims plunged into a sandbank in the Broadwater with three others on board. The surviving woman and two young boys were taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.
The man at the controls was named as Ash Jenkinson, the chief pilot and head of operations at Sea World Helicopters, who had been at the company for four years. With more than 16 years’ experience flying helicopters, he had performed flood rescues during last February’s emergency in northern NSW. The second helicopter made an emergency landing on the same outcrop, about 200m from the helipad, its pilot and five passengers suffering cuts from shattered glass.
Conditions at the time were fine, with no evident visibility constraints, witnesses said.
Gridlocked holiday traffic hampered a rescue effort that swung into action within minutes of the choppers going down, witnessed by thousands of holiday-makers on the packed foreshore and Southport Spit where Sea World is situated.
“I was sitting there at the table … and I said ‘both helicopters are really close to each other. I think they’re going to crash’,” said witness Kimberly Button, describing the moment of impact.
“I was joking, I never thought from this angle they were actually going to crash.
“But they clipped each other, and one of them lost its propeller. The other one lost parts of its propeller. The one that lost its whole propeller just sort of rolled and crashed on its side and top, and the other one kept hovering for a bit, wobbled, and then landed.”
Small boats and rescue helicopters converged on the scene as ambulances deployed lights and sirens to reach it.
“We noticed families lining up on the shoreline looking over to the Spit. Everyone was chatting to each other and the lady I spoke to happened to be a police inspector visiting from Sydney who had just witnessed the incident,” said Gold Coast City councillor Brooke Patterson, who had been picnicking with her family in the Broadwater Parklands.
“She had seen one helicopter go down and thought she saw someone jump or fall out before it did.”
Helicopter pilot Scott Menzies, aloft over the Broadwater at the time, said it was a miracle anyone survived. “I was in the air when it happened … I flew over just after it occurred, within seconds,“ he told The Australian.
“The other aircraft that landed was badly damaged so it was amazing he (the pilot) managed to get it on the ground. It is a terrible accident.”
Describing the tragedy as “unthinkable”, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said: “My deepest sympathies are with each of the families and everyone affected by this terrible incident.”
Anthony Albanese said the whole nation was shocked by the crash. “My thoughts are with all those affected, including first responders, and my deepest sympathies are with those who are grieving,” the Prime Minister said.
In a statement, Sea World Helicopters expressed its “shock and deepest sympathy” to those involved in the crash.
“We and the entire flying community are devastated by what has happened and our sincere condolences go to all those involved and especially the loved ones and family of the deceased.
“We are co-operating with all the authorities including the Australian Transport Safety Bureau and the Queensland police.”
An incoming evening tide created fresh headaches for emergency responders as they attempted to secure the crash site for Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigators arriving from Brisbane and Canberra.
Both choppers were single-engined Eurocopter EC130s, licensed to carry up to seven passengers on joy rides lasting between five and 30 minutes over the Broadwater and Gold Coast hinterland. They were operated by a company called Professional Helicopter Services under contract to Sea World.
The machine in which the four victims died was built in 2008 but had only been operated by Sea World Helicopters since November 2, Civil Aviation Authority records show.
Tourist Andrew Stock was counting his blessings, having taken a joy flight on one of the choppers with his wife and two children only 20 minutes before the crash. The pilot had been professional, the aircraft clean and seemingly well maintained.
“We thoroughly enjoyed our flight, as did our two young children,” Mr Stock said. “Our pilot Mike was amazing, my wife could hear safety communications via headset the whole time. Very professional and friendly.”
A friend of the killed pilot, Ritchie Gregg, said Mr Jenkinson was a “legend” who burnished his reputation during the Northern Rivers flood crisis. “I just want people to know what he did for people,” Mr Gregg said, paying tribute to a mate of 10 years.
“Five of us came together and put funds in to use his heli to get to Ballina to help people. Then word got out and we kept it going for five days thanks to funds and donations. If it wasn’t for Ash’s heli and pilot skills people in over 100 homes wouldn’t have had supplies or been evacuated.”
ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said the agency had opened an investigation.
“During the evidence-gathering phase of the investigation, ATSB investigators will examine the wreckage and map the accident site. Investigators will also recover any relevant components for further examination at the ATSB’s technical facilities in Canberra, gather any available recorded data for analysis, and interview witnesses and other involved parties,” said agency chief commissioner Angus Mitchell.
“The ATSB anticipates publishing a preliminary report detailing basic information gathered during the investigation’s evidence collection phase in approximately six to eight weeks. A final report will be published at the conclusion of the investigation, however, should any critical safety issues be identified at any stage during the course of the investigation, the ATSB will immediately notify relevant parties.”
Additional reporting: Sarah Elks, Georgia Clelland
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