Monday, a tragic mid-air collision between two helicopters occurred near the sea world resort on australia’s gold coast, resulting in the death of a british couple, ron and diane hughes, and an australian pilot, ashley jenkinson. three other passengers, including two children, were seriously injured. boat operators had immediately responded to the crash, providing cpr to the victims.
when the incident occurred, the helicopters had been taking off from a sandbar, with the main rotor blade of one of the aircraft striking the cockpit of the other. this caused the second helicopter to crash within seconds, while the first one landed upright on the sandbank, with five of its six passengers sustaining minor injuries. the uk foreign office has stated that they are supporting the families of the victims and are in contact with the local authorities.
the australian transport safety bureau (atsb) has announced that it is conducting interviews and analysing the helicopters, scene, footage, and other evidence in order to establish the cause of the incident. air safety commissioner angus mitchell has highlighted the importance of understanding what was occurring in both cockpits at the time, and has pointed out the remarkable achievement of the damaged helicopter landing safely. the atsb has stated that the preliminary report should be available within six to eight weeks. prime minister anthony albanese expressed his shock at the “terrible and tragic incident”.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-64148973?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA
