A malfunctioning radio antenna played a key role in the tragic mid-air helicopter collision that killed four people and seriously injured six others near Sea World on Australia’s Gold Coast, according to a new report by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).
The fatal crash occurred in January 2023, when two helicopters collided—one during takeoff and the other as it prepared to land. Among the victims were two British tourists, while several more sustained serious injuries in the high-profile accident that shocked the popular tourist region.
The ATSB’s final report, released this week, revealed that one pilot failed to receive a crucial radio transmission shortly before the crash, partly due to a faulty antenna. The report also found that a series of operational changes by Sea World Helicopters had gradually eroded previously established safety measures.
“Over time, these changes undermined risk controls used to manage traffic separation and created a conflict point between… helicopters,” the report stated.
The incident unfolded rapidly—just 20 seconds after one helicopter lifted off while another approached the landing pad. The crash killed all four passengers aboard the departing aircraft. The inbound helicopter, however, managed to land despite sustaining damage, though passengers suffered a range of injuries.
The ATSB found that Sea World had implemented several changes in the lead-up to the crash, including adding a second helipad and introducing larger Eurocopter EC140 B4 helicopters in an attempt to boost its leisure flight offerings.
The aircraft preparing for takeoff had a faulty antenna, which likely prevented a vital “taxiing” call from being received by the inbound pilot. At the time, the pilot on the ground was still loading passengers.
Although a ground crew member later told the departing pilot that the airspace was clear, that information was outdated by the time the helicopter lifted off. The pilot of the arriving aircraft had spotted the helicopter on the ground, but didn’t perceive it as a threat—expecting that a taxiing call would have alerted him to any change.
“Without the taxiing call being received, the pilot of the inbound helicopter, who was likely focusing on their landing site, had no trigger to reassess the status of the departing helicopter as a collision risk,” the report explained.
Among those who lost their lives were Diane Hughes, 57, and her husband Ron Hughes, 65, from Neston, Cheshire. The couple had married in 2022 and were visiting family in Australia after long separations during the pandemic.
The Hughes family remembered them as a “fun-loving” couple with “a zest for life”.
Also killed in the crash were Vanessa Tadros, a 36-year-old Sydney resident, and Ashley Jenkinson, 40, the pilot of the Sea World helicopter. Jenkinson was originally from Birmingham, UK.
In total, six people sustained serious injuries, while three others were left with minor wounds. Passengers from the returning flight later praised their pilot as a “hero” for managing a safe emergency landing.
The ATSB report outlined 28 findings, emphasizing the need for heightened safety awareness across aviation operators.
“The most fundamental lesson from this investigation is that making changes to aviation operations, even those that appear to increase safety, can have unintended consequences,” said ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell.
“It is therefore critical that changes to aviation operations are managed through the implementation of a defined process to ensure overall safety is not adversely affected.”
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Written By Elegbe Theodore