Inquest to begin into deadly Sea World crash
Source: AAP
Four people died when two Sea World helicopters collided above the Gold Coast Broadwater in January 2023 during the busy summer holiday season.
Almost three years later, Coroner Carol Lee will probe 11 critical issues surrounding the devastating crash at a 10-day inquest scheduled to start in Brisbane on Monday.
The coronial probe comes just months after a damning safety bureau report into the midair collision between two joy flight choppers.
In its final report, released in April, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau found a litany of factors led to the crash, including limited visibility, failed radio transmissions and a lack of safety protocols.
Pilot Ashley Jenkinson 40, British newlyweds Ronald and Diane Hughes – aged 65 and 67 – and Sydney mother Vanessa Tadros, 36, died. Nine others were injured in the catastrophic collision.
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The inquest will look at how the crash occurred and its most likely cause. Issues include whether safety management systems involving ground and air crews were adequate and appropriate.
Other issues to be examined include the adequacy of pilot training, radio equipment serviceability and effectiveness, along with Sea World’s air communication systems.
One of the outstanding issues in the safety bureau report was an antenna failure in one helicopter’s radio that existed for days.
One of the pilots tried to make a call to alert the other helicopter that they were leaving but it was never delivered to the other chopper due to the fault, the report said.
-with AAP
