EXCLUSIVECairns helicopter crash: New details emerge after Blake Wilson being 'put to bed' before he crashed chopper into DoubleTree Hilton
- Blake Wilson fatally crashed a helicopter into the Cairns hotel
- He trained as a pilot but is not licenced in Australia
- READ MORE: Cairns helicopter crash: Blake Wilson identified as pilot behind the flight that crashed
The helicopter pilot who crashed a stolen aircraft into a waterfront hotel had been 'put to bed' after a night of drinking before he took off on his fatal flight.
Blake Wilson, 23, was behind the controls of a R44 Robinson helicopter when it crashed into the roof of DoubleTree by Hilton in Cairns at about 1.50am on Monday.
The helicopter was seen flying for at least five minutes in the city's CBD before it slammed into the hotel roof, smashing windows of nearby rooms.
Two guests, a man in his 80s and a woman in her 70s, were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.
Nautilus Aviation, which employed the pilot in a ground crew position, said he had gained unauthorised access to a helicopter in their hangar after attending an unofficial farewell event.
Mr Wilson, who is originally from Palmerston North on New Zealand's North Island, gained his private pilot licence from Christchurch Helicopters in April 2022, which employs NZ's most famous All Blacks rugby player, Richie McCaw, among its pilots and instructors.
In a statement, Christchurch Helicopters said Mr Wilson had a New Zealand pilot's licence but had never flown in Australia and was not authorised to use a Nautilus Aviation helicopter.
'Blake completed his Diploma in Aviation with Christchurch Helicopters in 2022,' the statement said.
Cairns hotel crash pilot Blake Wilson parties with mates in New Zealand before heading off to Australia on his 'new adventure'. It ended in tragedy when he stole a helicopter after a night out drinking
Nautilus helicopter in the hangar where Blake Wilson stole a R44 Robinson craft in the early hours of Monday morning and flew it for four minutes before crashing into the Double Tree
'He was well-liked by the staff and his fellow classmates.
'He will be missed by the team at Christchurch Helicopters and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.'
Wilson's Instagram page shows him standing proudly by a helicopter at Christchurch Helicopter's headquarters in September 2022 and declaring he was 'officially a Commercial Helicopter Pilot'.
He moved to Cairns with his girlfriend in March this year and interviewed with several different helicopter charter companies before he landed the job at Nautilus Aviation, which operates from seven bases across Northern Australia.
Shortly after moving, he posted a photo of Cairns' Esplanade, and wrote: 'The new home in Far North Queensland. Excited to see what this adventure brings #itsbloodyhothere'.
Fire erupts atop the Cairns hotel (left) after Blake Wilson crashed the helicopter into the roof. Rugby legend Richie McCaw (right) is one of the pilots at Christchurch Helicopters, where Blake Wilson trained in New Zealand
A week later, he posted a photo of himself out with six friends at the nearby Cairns bar, Gilligans.
He spent more than four months working at the Nautilus's Cairns base, before he received a promotion to work as a refueller for the company on Horn Island, above Australia's Top End, which he was due to start on Monday.
Colleagues at the company held a farewell dinner and drinks for Mr Wilson on the Sunday night, just hours before he embarked on his fatal flight.
One witness told media that Mr Wilson had been 'intoxicated' at the celebratory dinner and had to be put to bed.
It's understood that at some point later in the night, he left his room and got behind the wheel of a Nautilus vehicle which he then drove to the company's headquarters at Cairns airport, before taking off in the chopper.
Now questions have been raised about security at the airport, and how he was able to gain access to the chopper so late at night.
'The security arrangement at that airport is the same as at most, if not all, general aviation airports in Australia. So a review is probably very worthwhile, in my opinion,' aviation expert Peter Carter said.
'It's an inside job, so it's very hard to create security arrangements to prevent that sort of thing occurring.
Blake Wilson is pictured enjoying a night out shortly after moving to Cairns
Fatal flight path of New Zealander Blake Wilson who stole an R44 Robinson helicopter from Cairns airport and crashed it into the Cairns Double Tree hotel four minutes later
'The company might consider different levels of access depending on the seniority of the employee ... it should come to its own conclusion as to the arrangements it makes for security, in my opinion.'
Cairns Airport said an initial review indicated site access had not been compromised.
'Our thoughts are with all affected by the distressing incident at Cairns Esplanade,' CEO Richard Barker said in a statement.
'Cairns Airport operates under a federally approved, multi-layered transport security program.
'To reassure our community, we wish to confirm a review has been conducted, showing no compromise of our airport fence or access points.'
