A 23-year-old ground crew member of Nautilus Aviation in Cairns, Australia, tragically died after stealing a helicopter and crashing it into a hotel. The incident occurred after a night of heavy drinking in celebration of a recent promotion. The young man, Blake Wilson, had been with the company for four months.
Wilson, a licensed pilot in New Zealand, was not authorized to fly in Australia. Reports indicate that he was so inebriated during the celebration that his colleagues had to help him to bed. However, later in the night, he managed to gain unauthorized access to a hangar and took an R44 Robinson helicopter without permission.
The stolen helicopter was flown over a restricted airspace in the central business district before it crashed into the roof of the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel shortly before 2 a.m. on Monday. The impact of the crash shattered several windows and resulted in Wilson’s death.
The crash also resulted in the hospitalization of two hotel guests, a woman in her 70s and a man in his 80s, who suffered from smoke inhalation. The hotel was evacuated as a result of the crash.
Nautilus Aviation CEO Aaron Finn confirmed that Wilson’s colleagues had gathered for a private dinner and drinks on Sunday night to celebrate his promotion. Finn emphasized that the gathering was not a company event but was organized by friends.
In response to the incident, Cairns Airport stated that an initial review showed no compromise of security. CEO Richard Barker expressed his condolences to those affected by the tragic event and reassured the community that the airport’s federally approved, multi-layered transport security program remained intact.