[Peetwo]

AO-2023-001 media update: 7/01/23

Via the Oz:

Hero chopper pilot leaves hospital as three remain, one critical

By ROBYN IRONSIDE
AVIATION WRITER
@ironsider
10:41AM JANUARY 6, 2023


Pilot Michael James has been released from hospital after the Sea World crash.

Hero chopper pilot Michael James has left hospital after Monday’s horrific mid-air crash on the Gold Coast, leaving three people including two children still in care.

Nicholas Tadros, 10, remains in a critical condition in the Gold Coast University Hospital still unaware his mother Vanessa died in the tragedy.

Leon de Silva, 9, is listed as stable in the Queensland Children’s Hospital after awaking from a coma yesterday and giving a thumbs up to his injured mother Winnie, in a video call.

Ms de Silva is also stable at the Gold Coast University Hospital after suffering multiple fractures in the crash.

Mr James who was hailed a hero after managing to land his helicopter following the collision, was released from hospital late Thursday along with two of his passengers, Elmarie Steenberg and Marle Stewart.

Ms Steenberg confirmed her involvement in the helicopter crash to Facebook friends on Wednesday, adding “thank you to God for sparing all of us”.

Four people in the other helicopter were killed, including Sea World Helicopters’ chief pilot Ashley Jenkinson, 40.

British couple Ron and Dianne Hughes also died, along with Ms Tadros.

Mr Jenkinson was taking off from the Sea World helipad as Mr James’ helicopter approached for landing in clear conditions on Monday afternoon.

Video footage released days after the deadly collision appeared to show passengers frantically trying to alert Mr James to the approaching danger, moments before impact.

The footage and numerous other recordings filmed by onlookers at Sea World have been provided to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau to assist with the investigation.

A preliminary report on the disaster is expected by the end of next month, with a final report now anticipated in the third quarter of 2024.

Investigators are expected to focus on Sea World Helicopters’ takeoff and landing procedures, and communication between pilots.

It was not unusual for pilots to undertake multiple sightseeing trips a day over the theme park and surrounds, some as short as 5-minutes duration.

Sea World Helicopters is closed until further notice, but the Sea World theme park is continuing to operate throughout the busy summer holiday period.

Clinton McKenzie, via the UP:

..And yet another tragedy arising from a collision between two aircraft in G. The pilots in command of the aircraft involved were the subject of the same rules of the air and see and avoid obligations as those to which the pilots in command of the aircraft involved in the collision near Gympie were subject.[/font][/color]

The rules of the air and see and avoid obligations do not distinguish between aircraft on the basis of whether there happen to be pax on board or not. A moment’s reflection reveals why: The aircraft don’t ‘know’ whether there are pax on board or not, the pilot of one aircraft wouldn’t necessarily know whether there happen to be pax on board another aircraft and, most importantly - a collision is precisely that: A collision to be avoided, no matter who or what is involved.

Either these collisions are “rare” “operational” events from which nothing new can be learnt, or they aren’t.

Quote:

But exactly why this occurred, the range of visibility from both the pilots, what was happening inside the cabins the time – they’re the things that will help us piece together potentially what may have been a contributing factor here. But it’s still very early stage in the investigation to start speculating.

Indeed, Mr ATSB. And precisely the same durr-obvious statement would be made in the wake of a collision between an RPT aircraft and a ‘light’ aircraft in the vicinity of an aerodrome in G. (Perhaps some investigation into who said what and who heard what on what frequency/ies could highlight a contributing factor, too...)

If ATSB is really concerned about “systemic improvements to transport safety”, ATSB should be investigating all mid-air collisions. ATSB can’t know if there’s a systemic problem which can be improved to the benefit of transport safety if the only mid-air collisions it’s going to investigate are those which coincidentally involve fare paying passengers.

MTF...P2