A pilot has died after a helicopter on an “unauthorized” flight crashed into the roof of the DoubleTree by Hilton on Cairns Esplanade in Far North Queensland. The crash, which occurred shortly before 2 a.m. today, caused a fire on the hotel’s roof and led to the evacuation of up to 400 people, according to police.
The area where the crash occurred is designated as a no-fly zone. Two rotor blades from the helicopter fell onto the esplanade and into the hotel pool, but there were no reported injuries on the ground.
Charter company Nautilus Aviation has confirmed that the flight was unauthorized and has declined to provide further comments while the investigation is ongoing.
The pilot, who was the sole occupant of the helicopter, died at the scene. Two hotel guests—a man in his 80s and a woman in her 70s—were taken to Cairns Hospital in stable condition and have since been discharged.
Veronica Knight, who was on the phone outside at the time, witnessed the helicopter’s erratic flight path and tried to film it. She described the helicopter flying in a manner reminiscent of planes in war movies and noted that it disappeared for about ten minutes before reappearing. Although it was too dark to see the crash itself, she heard it and filmed the flames from a close distance.
Witnesses reported hearing a “colossal ear-deafening bang.” Alastair Salmon, a hotel guest, described the crash as feeling like a bomb going off and noted flames rising up the side of the building. He initially mistook a rotor blade for a lamppost and later saw fragments of the helicopter in the hotel’s courtyard.
Wayne Leonard, a nearby resident, also heard the loud bang.
Queensland Premier Steven Miles called the incident a “terrifying event” and praised emergency services for their response. Professor Doug Drury, head of aviation at CQ University, noted that it is “very, very unusual” for such a crash to occur in the CBD at that hour. He mentioned that a mechanical failure might be possible, but landing on top of a hotel would be the “last thing” a pilot would typically do. Drury also emphasized that the CBD is a no-fly zone for low-flying aircraft, except for authorized rescue helicopters, and such major incidents are extremely rare.