Cairns helicopter crash: The major unanswered questions about the helicopter tragedy - as astonishing timeline reveals how incident unfolded
Exactly why a young trainee pilot who was enjoying an 'adventure' in Australia decided to embark on a fatal helicopter flight after a night of drinking to celebrate a recent promotion still remains a mystery 48 hours after his death.
Daily Mail Australia revealed on Tuesday that New Zealander Blake Wilson, who is believed to be in his mid-20s, was the pilot on board a Robinson 44 helicopter which smashed into the roof the DoubleTree by Hilton in Cairns in Far North Queensland at 1.50am on Monday.
The 'unauthorised' journey took off from the Nautilus Aviation hangar at Cairns Airport shortly after 1.45am, flying down over the city's Esplanade, which is a no-fly zone.
Just four minutes into the flight, witnesses reported seeing the aircraft flying dangerously low over the mud flats before it smashed into the hotel roof and burst into flames.
Miraculously, only Mr Wilson was killed. Two elderly guests were treated at hospital for smoke inhalation, while almost 400 people had to be evacuated in the middle of the night.
As investigators for Queensland Police and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) puzzle over the case, Daily Mail Australia takes a look at the key questions - and those that remain unanswered.
New Zealander Blake Wilson was the pilot on board a Robinson 44 helicopter which smashed into the roof the DoubleTree by Hilton in Cairns
Mr Wilson had been out celebrating a recent promotion with colleagues at Nautilus Aviation before he drove to the company headquarters and embarked on the 'unauthorised' flight
Was he qualified to fly a helicopter?
Mr Wilson only moved to Cairns from his native New Zealand in March.
The young trainee pilot, who is originally from Palmerston North on New Zealand's North Island, gained his private pilots licence Christchurch Helicopters in April 2022, later becoming a fully qualified commercial pilot with the company in September that year.
He moved to Cairns with his girlfriend in March this year and had interviews with several different helicopter charter companies.
Mr Wilson was described as a clean-cut and serious, yet personable, young man by some of those he encountered in the tight-knit industry.
He quickly landed a job in April as a member of the ground crew with Nautilus Aviation, a private charter company which operates from seven bases across Northern Australia.
Despite his qualifications back home, he was not permitted to fly helicopters in Australia.
Mr Wilson (pictured) gained his private pilot's licence with Christchurch Helicopters in April 2022, but never worked for Nautilus Aviation as a pilot
'Although the employee held a New Zealand CPL(H) pilot's licence, they have never flown in Australia or for Nautilus Aviation and were not authorised to fly Nautilus Aviation helicopters,' the company said in a statement released on Tuesday afternoon.
This suggests Mr Wilson had not flown a helicopter for almost six months when he decided to get behind the controls of the Robinson 44.
What happened in the lead-up to the incident?
Mr Wilson had just received a promotion to work as a refueller for Nautilus 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.
Nautilus Aviation said in a statement released on Tuesday afternoon that the dinner was 'not a work event and was coordinated by friends'.
The helicopter slammed into the roof of the luxury Cairns hotel - with two of its propellers falling off on impact. Pictured is one of the damaged rooms on the top level
'We can confirm this event did occur and was a privately organised send-off for the individual involved in Monday morning's incident, who was recently promoted to a ground crew position at another one of our bases,' the statement added.
One witness told Nine News 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.
From there, he was able to access the hangar due to his role as ground crew. It's understood he used a trolley jack to move the helicopter on to the tarmac.
The weather early Monday morning was overcast with low visibility.
It is understood that a after being put to bed by his colleagues, Mr Wilson later left his room and got behind the wheel of a Nautilus vehicle which he then drove to the company's headquarters at Cairns airport (pictured)
From there, he was able to access the hangar due to his role as ground crew. It is understood he used a trolley jack to move the helicopter on to the tarmac (pictured: a Nautilus hangar)
What happened on the flight?
The flight only lasted four minutes and no mayday call was made.
ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said that investigators faced a difficult task of establishing exactly what happened due to the impact of the collision and the subsequent fire.
'We'll spend the next couple of days going through witness statements interviewing the operator and trying to build a better picture,' he told reporters on Tuesday.
'What was the nature of this flight? And what was the flight path taken? And particularly, what were those final seconds of flight phase into the building?'
He added: 'We understand it has taken off from Cairns Airport and it's done one lap down through Cairns.
ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said that investigators faced a difficult task of establishing exactly what happened
Pictured: investigators examine the site of impact on Tuesday morning
'Not too long after that it's been out over the mud flats and then come back into the building.
Investigators will scour the hours leading up to the flight, CCTV from the Esplanade, phone recordings of the actual incident, radar from the airport and any recording devices still in tact within the helicopter itself.
This would allow investigators to determine whether it was a transport safety matter or more of a 'regulatory' question, Mr Mitchell added.
He said that the 83-year-old man and the 76-year-old woman who emerged almost completely unscathed after the helicopter landed in their room were 'very lucky'.
'You can appreciate that an almost three-quarters of a tonne helicopter going into the side of a building is going to result in a lot of catastrophic damage,' Mr Mitchell said.
Mr Wilson quickly landed a job in April as a member of the ground crew with Nautilus Aviation, a private charter company which operates from seven bases across Northern Australia.(the company's headquarters are pictured)
Nautilus Aviation said it had completed interviews with the ATSB and Queensland Police and had 'cooperated with full transparency and disclosure of all events leading up to and following the incident on Monday morning'.
The company added: 'We offer our heartfelt condolences to the individual's family and all who have been affected by this tragedy and continue to offer our support to our employees during this very challenging period.'
Is anything known about his mental state?
He relocated to Cairns with his girlfriend in March and excitedly documented the move on social media.
‘The new home in Far North Queensland. Excited to see what this adventure brings,' he captioned a picture of the city's Esplanade on Instagram.
The young Kiwi appeared to be enjoying his time in Cairns, documenting day trips to waterfalls and parties out at local night clubs.
‘Gotta go to the places that the crocs can't get ya,’ he captioned a series of photos taken at a waterfall.
‘Chasing Waterfalls definitely isn't a bad way to spend days off.’
Mr Wilson (pictured) was described as a clean-cut and serious, yet personable, young man by some of those he encountered in the tight-knit helicopter industry
Nautilus chief executive Aaron Finn described the crash as 'very unfortunate
It appears Mr Wilson was on a trip to the Great Barrier Reef with a friend just five days before his fatal plunge from the sky.
A picture of a helicopter parked on a sand spit in the ocean was captioned: ‘Casual Wednesday on a day off’.
However, Daily Mail Australia understands that he had recently broken up with his girlfriend. It is not clear if they were back together at the time of his death.
Nautilus chief executive Aaron Finn described the crash as 'very unfortunate' and suggested it was not being treated as deliberate by investigators.
'He was a great employee, we had no concerns about his well being or his mental state,' Mr Finn said on Tuesday afternoon.
