The defective antenna played a role in a fatal Australian helicopter disaster

A defective radio antenna has contributed to the deadly collision of a helicopter in medium air in Australian theme park and a resort, say officers on transport safety.

Four people were killed – including two British tourists – and several more were seriously injured when the two planes hit each other in January 2023, near the Gold Coast Sea World.

An investigation into the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau (ATSB) found that one of the pilots had not heard a vital radio hub shortly before the incident and that a series of changes from Sea World means that risk control was destroyed over time.

The incident shook Gold Coast, one of the largest tourist hot spots in the country.

The two helicopters collided about 20 seconds after one flew away, as the other landed.

The killed everyone traveled into the helicopter that took off. The other plane managed to make an emergency landing, with passengers suffering a number of injuries.

The ATSB report found that in the months leading to the accident, Sea World tried to improve its offering its leisure flights by adding second place in a helicopter and introducing EC140 B4 helicopters.

“Over time, these changes undermine the risk control used to manage traffic division and have created a conflict point between starting and departing helicopters,” the announcement said.

Aircraft preparing to take off also had a defective antenna.

On the eve of the collision, the call from the arriving helicopter was either not received or not heard by the pilot on the ground, which at that time charged passengers.

However, after the passengers were on board, a member of the ground crew advised the departing helicopter pilot that the airspace was clear. By the time the chopper flew, this information was no longer correct.

Meanwhile, the pilot, who wanted to land after a five -minute picturesque flight, had seen the other helicopter on the ground, but did not consider a threat, the report said.

He would expect to be warned by a taxi radio call if this situation changed. However, the defective antenna probably prevented the conversation for a taxi, the report said.

“Without getting a taxi call, the inlet helicopter pilot, who probably focused on his landing site, had no trigger to reassess the state of the departing helicopter as a risk of collision.”

Those killed were Diane Hughes, 57-years-old, and her 65-year-old husband Ron, who were from Neston, Cheshire. They had married in 2022 and were on festive visits to relatives after being separated by Covid.

The “fun” couple of Neston, Cheshire, had a “lifelong fervor,” their family said in a statement at the time.

Sydney Vanessa Todros, 36-year-old and 40-year-old helicopters of Sea World Ashley Jenkinson, who was originally from Birmingham, was also killed.

Another six people were seriously injured, while three others suffered minor injuries to the crash.

Shortly after the incident, the passengers of the flight, who returned, welcomed the pilot as a “hero” for safe landing of the helicopter.

In general, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau made 28 findings that emphasize “key lessons” for operators and pilots.

“The most fundamental lesson in this investigation is that changes in aviation operations, even those that seem to increase safety, can have unwanted consequences,” said ATSB chief Angus Mitchell.

“Therefore, it is crucial that changes in aviation operations be managed by applying a defined process to ensure that overall safety is not adversely affected.”