December 7, 2025 • 21 mins
Two scenic helicopters crossed paths over the Gold Coast and collided in clear daylight, exposing weak links in see-and-avoid, radio reliability, and ground procedures. We trace the timeline, the emergency response, and the investigation, then lay out practical fixes for safer sightseeing flights.
• operator expansion without matched safety assessment
• aircraft, pilot backgrounds, and flight setup
• timeline from liftoff to collision over the sandbar
• passenger alerts, impact mechanics, survivability
• mass-casualty response and scene control
• ATSB methods: video, wreckage mapping, interviews
• see-and-avoid limits under VFR in busy corridors
• faulty antenna, missed calls, ground miscommunication
• ship traffic as an attention splitter on approach
• regulatory reviews, legal actions, and inquest status
• concrete mitigations for comms, patterns, and training
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Special thank you to Lunarfall Audio for producing and doing all the heavy lifting on audio editing since April 13, 2025, the Murder of Christopher Meyer episode https://lunarfallaudio.com/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:01):
Alright, I admit it, I love aquariums.
The Shed Aquarium in Chicago,personal favorite of mine.
Followed closely by SeaWorld.
Because you know you gotpenguins and sharks and well
fish I guess.
Look, we all know penguins arethe best.
Anything after that is justfiller.
(00:24):
And the best way to top off aday seeing penguins is a
helicopter ride.
Unless, of course, thathelicopter collides with another
one mid-air.
Which is what happened January2nd, 2023 at SeaWorld in
Queensland, Australia.
So, what happened?
I'm Andrew, and this isHistory's A Disaster.
(00:54):
Tonight we're going down underfor mid-air collision at
SeaWorld in Australia.
Which I didn't even know therewas a SeaWorld in Australia.
Granted, they are not connectedto SeaWorld USA.
They are two totally separatecompanies.
And speaking of separatecompanies, SeaWorld Helicopters.
(01:14):
The owner and operators of thehelicopters involved in this
episode are also not connectedin any way to any of the
SeaWorlds.
And that's not confusing at all.
Three SeaWorlds, none of themconnected in any way, shape, or
form.
SeaWorld Helicopters justoperates out of the lot next to
the SeaWorld theme park.
(01:35):
And I'm gonna assume are justtrying to cash in on the name.
And tonight's episode is broughtto you by the Penguin Trading
Consortium.
Kids driving you crazy?
Then bring them on down to thePenguin Trading Consortium and
trade them in for a penguin.
We've got all kinds of penguinsto choose from.
(01:57):
From rock hoppers and macaronpenguins all the way up to King
and Emperor penguins.
We've got all the penguins youcould possibly want to trade
your children for.
Time to relax after the stressof dealing with Christmas and
(02:18):
family and all the crap thatbrings with it.
And where better to enjoy somesummer sun than Australia's Gold
Coast?
With its picturesque beaches,theme parks, and being a large
tourist destination, there isdefinitely not a lack of things
to do.
Like helicopter rides.
(02:38):
And I will almost never notrecommend flying in a
helicopter.
They're so much fun and sounforgettable.
Now some of the helicopterflights in the Gold Coast are
operated by SeaWorldHelicopters, which is
conveniently located next to,you guessed it, SeaWorld.
(02:59):
They had been a growingattraction for years, giving
visitors a bird's eyeperspective of the Gold Coast
famous beaches, the glitteringskyline of summer's paradise,
and the waterways that woundthrough the region.
The flights are normally around5 minutes long, but they are an
unforgettable experience.
(03:20):
Especially if you traveled fromaround the world to experience
Australia's famous sunshine andsurf culture.
With the success of thehelicopter flights, SeaWorld
Helicopter had been expanding.
They had recently added new,larger Eurocopter EC-130B4s to
their growing helicopter fleet.
(03:41):
With more flights and newhelicopters, they needed new
facilities, so they upgraded toa new hangar and offices.
They also added in a new helipadthey called the park pad.
The only thing they did not addwas improvements to their
safety.
They failed to look into howthese new changes could possibly
affect flight safety.
(04:03):
Which brings us to the twohelicopters involved.
The first helicopter, with theregistration VHXH9, was piloted
by 40-year-old Michael James, anexperienced pilot who had logged
just over 3,000 flight hoursover his career, and was a
licensed commercial pilot inAustralia since 2012.
(04:27):
And on top of being a pilot forSeaWorld helicopters, he was
also their safety manager and adrug and alcohol management plan
supervisor, which is just a tinybit ironic.
He would later be found to havesmall trace amounts of cocaine
in his system after theaccident.
Now, in all fairness, there wasnot enough to affect his
(04:50):
performance as a pilot, but itdoes tend to be frowned upon for
pilots to have drugs in theirsystem.
Especially if you're the drugand alcohol management plan
supervisor.
Chopper XH9 was carrying 5passengers, including Jesse
Maya, who would later testifyduring the ongoing inquest.
(05:11):
The second helicopter,registered as VHXKQ, was being
piloted by Ashley Jenkinson, a40-year-old chief pilot with
SeaWorld Helicopters, who washighly regarded within the
company and the broader aviationcommunity.
Jenkinson had held a commercialpilot's license since 2007 and
(05:33):
an air transport license since2013.
He had been working withSeaWorld Helicopters since 2019.
On his chopper XKQ, he wascarrying six passengers, Winnie
da Silva and her son, VanessaTedros and her son Nicholas, and
newlyweds Ron and Diane Hughesfrom the UK.
(06:00):
On January 2nd, 2023, SeaWorldHelicopters was conducting a
series of scenic flights inthese two Eurocopter EC-130s.
Being in uncontrolled airspace,the flights were performed under
the visual flight rules from itsbase at SeaWorld on the Gold
Coast.
The choppers were operating fromtwo different helipads that were
(06:23):
about 700 feet apart.
XH9, piloted by James, wasoperating from Helopad 3 at the
Operators Heliport, and XKQ,piloted by Jenkinson, was flying
from the park pad insideSeaWorld.
Both pilots had flights in themorning, then after lunch break,
commenced another series offlights.
(06:44):
The first flight after lunch forJames was a 10-minute scenic
flight.
Around the same time, Jenkinsonalso conducted a 10-minute
flight, landing about 5 minutesbehind James.
The new passengers boarding bothhelicopters had watched a safety
briefing video, either at theheliport or in a briefing room
near the park pad.
(07:04):
They were then fitted with apouch style constant wear life
jacket by ground crew andescorted to the helicopters.
At 1.51, James's Chopperdeparted Helipad 3 from the
heliport for a 5-minute scenicflight with five passengers on
board.
He reported making a taxi callprior to liftoff before
departing to the southwest,making a quick left turn to the
(07:27):
east over the SeaWorld grass,and a minute later made a
departure call.
They then entered the coastallane for a clear view north and
south before turning left to flynorth at 500 feet over the
water.
As they flew off, ground crewbegan loading passengers into
XKQ.
Around the time Jenkinson wasloading front seat passengers,
(07:49):
James was recorded making aninbound radio call from Porcus
Point.
Shortly after this call thatJenkinson never heard, the
loading of passengers wascompleted.
The ground crew reported thatthey checked the doors and that
they were closed and ensured thesurrounding area was free from
water and aircraft.
At that time, James was justunder a mile to the north of
(08:10):
their location.
The ground crew signaled toJenkinson that it was just a
five-minute tour andcommunicated with a thumbs up
that the chopper was ready fordeparture.
Jenkinson acknowledged with athumbs up.
The ground crew then left thehelipad and began preparing the
next flight.
Jenkinson remained on the padfor 23 seconds before departing.
In XH9, the track southboundalong the broadwater provided a
(08:34):
clear view of the SeaWorldhelipads.
James saw while flying over thebroadwater the passengers being
loaded into the other chopperand the doors being closed.
James recalled that theirassessment at the time was that
they would be clear of XKQ andthat it would pass behind them.
Therefore, they were notrequired to make any further
(08:55):
radio calls and elected not to.
As James got closer, Jenkinsontook off.
There were two ships travelingsouth on the Broadwater between
the parkpad and the heliport,which Jenkinson passed to the
outside of while climbingtowards the sandbar southwest of
the helipad.
Witnesses on board thesouthernmost ship recalled
(09:15):
seeing Jenkinson looking at themas he climbed from the park pad.
The ship was also crossingJames's intended flight path.
James adjusted their path topass behind the vessel on their
approach to the helipad.
James was keeping a close eye onthe ship as he approached.
As they got closer, a passengeron board XH-9 saw the other
(09:35):
chopper approaching andattempted to verbally alert
James.
As the other chopper got closer,the highly agitated passenger
started tapping James on theshoulder to get his attention.
As Jenkinson climbed, James wasdescending and both helicopters
collided 130 feet above theground.
(09:56):
The main rotor, engine, and tailseparated from XKQ, leaving
Jenkinson unable to control thechopper, and with no chance to
save it, it fell hard onto thesandbar below.
James's chopper wassubstantially damaged from the
contact.
The windscreens and compositestructure in the front of XH9
was shattered as the main rotorblades of XKQ passed through the
(10:19):
cabin.
James and his passengers wereimmediately showered with
fragments of glass and metal.
James's sunglasses managed tosave his eyes from the incoming
fragments.
All of the flight instrumentswere missing or destroyed, the
rotor system was damaged, andthe engine RPM started to decay.
Despite the damage done to hiscraft, James managed to guide
(10:40):
the crippled helicopter towardsa waiting sandbank.
It was a desperate maneuver, anattempt to avoid crashing into
the crowded theme park groundsdirectly below his chopper, or
into the water where swimmersand boats gathered.
The helicopter hit the groundhard, the impact brutal despite
James' best efforts.
(11:05):
The chopper came to rest on itsside in the sandy area with its
rotor blade shattered, itsfuselage damaged but largely
intact.
While everyone would be injuredin the crash, only three would
be considered critical, buteveryone would walk away.
Jenkinson and his passengers onXKQ would not be so lucky.
Jenkinson and three passengerswere fatally injured, the other
(11:28):
three seriously injured.
XKQ was completely destroyed.
The collision happened in fullview of hundreds of people.
Beachgoers, tourists atSeaWorld, and people on boats in
the nearby water watched inhorror as the two helicopters
collided and fell from the sky.
The sound of the impact, thescream of metal on metal, the
(11:49):
sudden change of rotor noise,and then the sickening crunch of
impact would haunt witnesses foryears to come.
Emergency calls flooded into 000within seconds.
People ran toward the crash siteeven as others pulled out phones
to call for help or film theunfolding tragedy.
The Gold Coast, despite being atourist destination, had robust
(12:11):
emergency services, and firstresponders began mobilizing
immediately.
The Gold Coast EmergencyServices responded quickly.
Queensland Ambulance Serviceparamedics arrived within
minutes, joined by QueenslandFire and Emergency Services
personnel, Queensland Police,and a small army of other first
responders.
(12:31):
The scene was a nightmare.
Two helicopter crash sites,multiple critically injured
patients, and hundreds of shockwitnesses.
And there was a need to securethe area and preserve evidence
while simultaneously providingurgent medical care.
Paramedics performed triage onthe sandbank, working to
stabilize the most criticallyinjured survivors before
(12:53):
transporting them to Gold CoastUniversity Hospital.
The hospital's trauma teamactivated their mass casualty
protocols, preparing to receivemultiple critically injured
patients simultaneously.
Additional medical helicopterswere dispatched also to provide
rapid transport, and I can onlywonder how many of them thought,
oh fuck no, not another damnhelicopter ride.
(13:16):
The crash site quicklytransformed into a carefully
controlled investigation scene.
The Australian Transport SafetyBureau, the agency responsible
for investigating civil aviationaccidents, was notified
immediately.
Investigators would need toexamine the wreckage, interview
survivors and witnesses, analyzeany recorded data, and piece
(13:38):
together exactly what hadhappened in those critical
seconds.
It would be a matter of just acouple hours before ATSB
investigators descended on theGold Coast.
And this investigation would beone of the most scrutinized in
Australian aviation history, notonly because of the loss of
(14:00):
life, but because it hadoccurred in broad daylight, in
perfect weather conditions, at awell-established helicopter
operation with experiencedpilots flying reliable aircraft.
The first thing that had to bedone was securing and
documenting the crash site, andit had to be done quickly.
They were racing against theincoming high tide that would
(14:21):
further submerge the wreckageand destroy valuable evidence.
Every piece of wreckage, everyscratch and dent potentially
told part of the story, and theyneeded to preserve all of it.
Investigators photographed andmeasured the wreckage positions,
mapped debris fields, and beganthe painstaking process of
examining the helicopterremains.
(14:44):
One of the best pieces ofevidence was all the video
footage.
Since it had occurred in apublic area, with everyone
having a smartphone, multiplepeople had captured video of the
crash.
And while it can be hard towatch, and yes, a lot of these
videos are floating around theinternet, I watched quite a few
of them on YouTube.
(15:04):
This footage providedinvestigators with important
information about thehelicopter's positions,
altitudes, flight paths, and theexact sequence of the collision,
all from multiple angles.
So they could reconstruct whathad happened with a that would
have not been possible in anearlier era.
The helicopters themselvesyielded important information.
(15:27):
Neither aircraft had cockpitvoice recorders or flight data
recorders, you know, what theynormally call black boxes.
They weren't required forhelicopters engaged in this type
of flying.
However, modern helicopterscarried various systems that
record certain operationalparameters, and the
investigators worked to extractwhatever data they could.
(15:48):
They also began interviewingwitnesses immediately.
They interviewed everyone.
Witnesses on the ground,passengers who survived, ground
crew at the helipad, otherpilots operating in the area,
and SeaWorld Helicopter'smanagement all provided
statements, each adding theirown little piece to the puzzle.
The preliminary findings of theinvestigation suggested that the
(16:11):
collision was the result of whatthey call a sea and avoid
failure.
Both helicopters had beenoperating in accordance with
their company's procedures, butthe specific circumstances he
had created a situation wherethe ascending helicopter was in
a position that made itdifficult for the descending
pilot to see.
From Michael James's point ofview, in the descending
(16:34):
helicopter, his attention wouldhave been mainly focused on the
landing area directly below andahead of him.
He was conducting a standardapproach, and the helicopter
ascending from the helipad wouldhave been rising into his field
of view from below, an area thatis naturally more difficult to
monitor when a pilot is focusedon landing.
From Ashley Jenkinson'sperspective, in the ascending
(16:57):
helicopter, it was just ascomplex, just slightly
different.
During takeoff, he would havehad to monitor his instruments
to ensure the helicopter isclimbing normally, along with
scanning for other traffic andbegin the transition from hover
to forward flight.
The other chopper descendingfrom above might have been in
his field of view, but may havebeen obscured by the helicopter
(17:21):
structure, or simply not wherehe expected another aircraft to
be, especially when he was toldthat there was no one else in
the area.
The video evidence they hadgathered suggested that the
helicopter's paths converged atalmost the worst possible angle
(17:41):
in timing.
Neither pilot may have had aclear, unobstructed view of the
other aircraft until it was toolate to take evasive action.
In the world of aviation, suchscenarios are sometimes
described as being set up tofail.
Situations where normalprocedures and normal human
capabilities are insufficient toprevent disaster.
(18:03):
Now, the next big question is,why didn't they know the other
helicopter was in the area?
I can see fields of visionsbeing obscured for whatever
reason, but knowing there wasanother chopper nearby should
have warranted extra vigilancein flight.
On his landing approach, Jamessaw the other helicopter on the
landing pad but did not view itas a threat.
(18:25):
At the same time, Jenkinson wason the ground getting his
passengers and chopper preppedfor takeoff and did not hear the
inbound radio call from James.
He was then told by a groundcrew member that the airspace
around him was clear, somethingthat would not be true by the
time he took off.
James up in the air had beenwaiting to hear a taxiing call,
(18:46):
which would have meant thatJenkinson's chopper was taking
off.
However, Jenkinson's chopper hada fucked up antenna that
seriously limited its range.
So when he made his taxiingcall, it never reached James
Chopper, which meant neitherpilot knew the other was there
due to a radio failure.
There was also the matter of theship traveling through the area.
(19:09):
Both pilots would have had tokeep an eye on the ship to avoid
it.
The ship being there would alsohave further divided their
attention away.
The Civil Aviation SafetyAuthority, Australia's aviation
regulator, immediately conductedreviews of helicopter scenic
flight operations nationwide.
They examined processes at otherbusy heliport locations, looking
(19:33):
for similar situations wheremultiple helicopters operated in
close proximity withoutground-based air traffic
control.
SeaWorld Helicopters immediatelysuspended operations following
the crash.
The company, which had operatedfor decades without a fatal
accident, was under severescrutiny.
Their safety procedures,maintenance records, pilot
(19:57):
training, and operationaloversight all came under
examination.
In the months following thecrash, legal proceedings began.
Families of the victims soughtanswers and accountability.
Lawsuits were filed, allegingnegligence in the operation of
the helicopters and inadequacyof safety procedures.
(20:17):
SeaWorld Helicopter facespotential criminal charges
pending the outcome of theinvestigation.
The Coronial Inquest, a legalprocess in Australia where a
coroner investigates sudden orunexplained deaths, would
examine the circumstances indetail.
Coroners have the power to makerecommendations to prevent
(20:37):
similar deaths in the future,and their findings carry
significant weight in drivingregulatory and industry changes.
And currently there is aninquest ongoing and expected to
take up to two weeks with over30 witnesses.
And that was the 2023 SeaWorldHelicopters Mid-air Collision.
(21:03):
Thanks for listening, and if youlike the show, please consider
leaving a rating or review onyour app of choice.
And you can reach out to theshow at history as a disaster at
gmail.com with questions,comments, or suggestions.
As well as following the show onsocial media, like Facebook,
Instagram, a few others, TikTok,YouTube, whatever, and share the
(21:25):
episode.
Your friends will love it.
Take care of yourself out there.
Go to the aquarium, see apenguin, pet the penguin.
They like it when you pet theanimals.
Thanks and goodbye.
Alright, I admit it, I love aquariums.
The Shed Aquarium in Chicago,personal favorite of mine.
Followed closely by SeaWorld.
Because you know you gotpenguins and sharks and well
fish I guess.
Look, we all know penguins arethe best.
Anything after that is justfiller.
(00:24):
And the best way to top off aday seeing penguins is a
helicopter ride.
Unless, of course, thathelicopter collides with another
one mid-air.
Which is what happened January2nd, 2023 at SeaWorld in
Queensland, Australia.
So, what happened?
I'm Andrew, and this isHistory's A Disaster.
(00:54):
Tonight we're going down underfor mid-air collision at
SeaWorld in Australia.
Which I didn't even know therewas a SeaWorld in Australia.
Granted, they are not connectedto SeaWorld USA.
They are two totally separatecompanies.
And speaking of separatecompanies, SeaWorld Helicopters.
(01:14):
The owner and operators of thehelicopters involved in this
episode are also not connectedin any way to any of the
SeaWorlds.
And that's not confusing at all.
Three SeaWorlds, none of themconnected in any way, shape, or
form.
SeaWorld Helicopters justoperates out of the lot next to
the SeaWorld theme park.
(01:35):
And I'm gonna assume are justtrying to cash in on the name.
And tonight's episode is broughtto you by the Penguin Trading
Consortium.
Kids driving you crazy?
Then bring them on down to thePenguin Trading Consortium and
trade them in for a penguin.
We've got all kinds of penguinsto choose from.
(01:57):
From rock hoppers and macaronpenguins all the way up to King
and Emperor penguins.
We've got all the penguins youcould possibly want to trade
your children for.
Time to relax after the stressof dealing with Christmas and
(02:18):
family and all the crap thatbrings with it.
And where better to enjoy somesummer sun than Australia's Gold
Coast?
With its picturesque beaches,theme parks, and being a large
tourist destination, there isdefinitely not a lack of things
to do.
Like helicopter rides.
(02:38):
And I will almost never notrecommend flying in a
helicopter.
They're so much fun and sounforgettable.
Now some of the helicopterflights in the Gold Coast are
operated by SeaWorldHelicopters, which is
conveniently located next to,you guessed it, SeaWorld.
(02:59):
They had been a growingattraction for years, giving
visitors a bird's eyeperspective of the Gold Coast
famous beaches, the glitteringskyline of summer's paradise,
and the waterways that woundthrough the region.
The flights are normally around5 minutes long, but they are an
unforgettable experience.
(03:20):
Especially if you traveled fromaround the world to experience
Australia's famous sunshine andsurf culture.
With the success of thehelicopter flights, SeaWorld
Helicopter had been expanding.
They had recently added new,larger Eurocopter EC-130B4s to
their growing helicopter fleet.
(03:41):
With more flights and newhelicopters, they needed new
facilities, so they upgraded toa new hangar and offices.
They also added in a new helipadthey called the park pad.
The only thing they did not addwas improvements to their
safety.
They failed to look into howthese new changes could possibly
affect flight safety.
(04:03):
Which brings us to the twohelicopters involved.
The first helicopter, with theregistration VHXH9, was piloted
by 40-year-old Michael James, anexperienced pilot who had logged
just over 3,000 flight hoursover his career, and was a
licensed commercial pilot inAustralia since 2012.
(04:27):
And on top of being a pilot forSeaWorld helicopters, he was
also their safety manager and adrug and alcohol management plan
supervisor, which is just a tinybit ironic.
He would later be found to havesmall trace amounts of cocaine
in his system after theaccident.
Now, in all fairness, there wasnot enough to affect his
(04:50):
performance as a pilot, but itdoes tend to be frowned upon for
pilots to have drugs in theirsystem.
Especially if you're the drugand alcohol management plan
supervisor.
Chopper XH9 was carrying 5passengers, including Jesse
Maya, who would later testifyduring the ongoing inquest.
(05:11):
The second helicopter,registered as VHXKQ, was being
piloted by Ashley Jenkinson, a40-year-old chief pilot with
SeaWorld Helicopters, who washighly regarded within the
company and the broader aviationcommunity.
Jenkinson had held a commercialpilot's license since 2007 and
(05:33):
an air transport license since2013.
He had been working withSeaWorld Helicopters since 2019.
On his chopper XKQ, he wascarrying six passengers, Winnie
da Silva and her son, VanessaTedros and her son Nicholas, and
newlyweds Ron and Diane Hughesfrom the UK.
(06:00):
On January 2nd, 2023, SeaWorldHelicopters was conducting a
series of scenic flights inthese two Eurocopter EC-130s.
Being in uncontrolled airspace,the flights were performed under
the visual flight rules from itsbase at SeaWorld on the Gold
Coast.
The choppers were operating fromtwo different helipads that were
(06:23):
about 700 feet apart.
XH9, piloted by James, wasoperating from Helopad 3 at the
Operators Heliport, and XKQ,piloted by Jenkinson, was flying
from the park pad insideSeaWorld.
Both pilots had flights in themorning, then after lunch break,
commenced another series offlights.
(06:44):
The first flight after lunch forJames was a 10-minute scenic
flight.
Around the same time, Jenkinsonalso conducted a 10-minute
flight, landing about 5 minutesbehind James.
The new passengers boarding bothhelicopters had watched a safety
briefing video, either at theheliport or in a briefing room
near the park pad.
(07:04):
They were then fitted with apouch style constant wear life
jacket by ground crew andescorted to the helicopters.
At 1.51, James's Chopperdeparted Helipad 3 from the
heliport for a 5-minute scenicflight with five passengers on
board.
He reported making a taxi callprior to liftoff before
departing to the southwest,making a quick left turn to the
(07:27):
east over the SeaWorld grass,and a minute later made a
departure call.
They then entered the coastallane for a clear view north and
south before turning left to flynorth at 500 feet over the
water.
As they flew off, ground crewbegan loading passengers into
XKQ.
Around the time Jenkinson wasloading front seat passengers,
(07:49):
James was recorded making aninbound radio call from Porcus
Point.
Shortly after this call thatJenkinson never heard, the
loading of passengers wascompleted.
The ground crew reported thatthey checked the doors and that
they were closed and ensured thesurrounding area was free from
water and aircraft.
At that time, James was justunder a mile to the north of
(08:10):
their location.
The ground crew signaled toJenkinson that it was just a
five-minute tour andcommunicated with a thumbs up
that the chopper was ready fordeparture.
Jenkinson acknowledged with athumbs up.
The ground crew then left thehelipad and began preparing the
next flight.
Jenkinson remained on the padfor 23 seconds before departing.
In XH9, the track southboundalong the broadwater provided a
(08:34):
clear view of the SeaWorldhelipads.
James saw while flying over thebroadwater the passengers being
loaded into the other chopperand the doors being closed.
James recalled that theirassessment at the time was that
they would be clear of XKQ andthat it would pass behind them.
Therefore, they were notrequired to make any further
(08:55):
radio calls and elected not to.
As James got closer, Jenkinsontook off.
There were two ships travelingsouth on the Broadwater between
the parkpad and the heliport,which Jenkinson passed to the
outside of while climbingtowards the sandbar southwest of
the helipad.
Witnesses on board thesouthernmost ship recalled
(09:15):
seeing Jenkinson looking at themas he climbed from the park pad.
The ship was also crossingJames's intended flight path.
James adjusted their path topass behind the vessel on their
approach to the helipad.
James was keeping a close eye onthe ship as he approached.
As they got closer, a passengeron board XH-9 saw the other
(09:35):
chopper approaching andattempted to verbally alert
James.
As the other chopper got closer,the highly agitated passenger
started tapping James on theshoulder to get his attention.
As Jenkinson climbed, James wasdescending and both helicopters
collided 130 feet above theground.
(09:56):
The main rotor, engine, and tailseparated from XKQ, leaving
Jenkinson unable to control thechopper, and with no chance to
save it, it fell hard onto thesandbar below.
James's chopper wassubstantially damaged from the
contact.
The windscreens and compositestructure in the front of XH9
was shattered as the main rotorblades of XKQ passed through the
(10:19):
cabin.
James and his passengers wereimmediately showered with
fragments of glass and metal.
James's sunglasses managed tosave his eyes from the incoming
fragments.
All of the flight instrumentswere missing or destroyed, the
rotor system was damaged, andthe engine RPM started to decay.
Despite the damage done to hiscraft, James managed to guide
(10:40):
the crippled helicopter towardsa waiting sandbank.
It was a desperate maneuver, anattempt to avoid crashing into
the crowded theme park groundsdirectly below his chopper, or
into the water where swimmersand boats gathered.
The helicopter hit the groundhard, the impact brutal despite
James' best efforts.
(11:05):
The chopper came to rest on itsside in the sandy area with its
rotor blade shattered, itsfuselage damaged but largely
intact.
While everyone would be injuredin the crash, only three would
be considered critical, buteveryone would walk away.
Jenkinson and his passengers onXKQ would not be so lucky.
Jenkinson and three passengerswere fatally injured, the other
(11:28):
three seriously injured.
XKQ was completely destroyed.
The collision happened in fullview of hundreds of people.
Beachgoers, tourists atSeaWorld, and people on boats in
the nearby water watched inhorror as the two helicopters
collided and fell from the sky.
The sound of the impact, thescream of metal on metal, the
(11:49):
sudden change of rotor noise,and then the sickening crunch of
impact would haunt witnesses foryears to come.
Emergency calls flooded into 000within seconds.
People ran toward the crash siteeven as others pulled out phones
to call for help or film theunfolding tragedy.
The Gold Coast, despite being atourist destination, had robust
(12:11):
emergency services, and firstresponders began mobilizing
immediately.
The Gold Coast EmergencyServices responded quickly.
Queensland Ambulance Serviceparamedics arrived within
minutes, joined by QueenslandFire and Emergency Services
personnel, Queensland Police,and a small army of other first
responders.
(12:31):
The scene was a nightmare.
Two helicopter crash sites,multiple critically injured
patients, and hundreds of shockwitnesses.
And there was a need to securethe area and preserve evidence
while simultaneously providingurgent medical care.
Paramedics performed triage onthe sandbank, working to
stabilize the most criticallyinjured survivors before
(12:53):
transporting them to Gold CoastUniversity Hospital.
The hospital's trauma teamactivated their mass casualty
protocols, preparing to receivemultiple critically injured
patients simultaneously.
Additional medical helicopterswere dispatched also to provide
rapid transport, and I can onlywonder how many of them thought,
oh fuck no, not another damnhelicopter ride.
(13:16):
The crash site quicklytransformed into a carefully
controlled investigation scene.
The Australian Transport SafetyBureau, the agency responsible
for investigating civil aviationaccidents, was notified
immediately.
Investigators would need toexamine the wreckage, interview
survivors and witnesses, analyzeany recorded data, and piece
(13:38):
together exactly what hadhappened in those critical
seconds.
It would be a matter of just acouple hours before ATSB
investigators descended on theGold Coast.
And this investigation would beone of the most scrutinized in
Australian aviation history, notonly because of the loss of
(14:00):
life, but because it hadoccurred in broad daylight, in
perfect weather conditions, at awell-established helicopter
operation with experiencedpilots flying reliable aircraft.
The first thing that had to bedone was securing and
documenting the crash site, andit had to be done quickly.
They were racing against theincoming high tide that would
(14:21):
further submerge the wreckageand destroy valuable evidence.
Every piece of wreckage, everyscratch and dent potentially
told part of the story, and theyneeded to preserve all of it.
Investigators photographed andmeasured the wreckage positions,
mapped debris fields, and beganthe painstaking process of
examining the helicopterremains.
(14:44):
One of the best pieces ofevidence was all the video
footage.
Since it had occurred in apublic area, with everyone
having a smartphone, multiplepeople had captured video of the
crash.
And while it can be hard towatch, and yes, a lot of these
videos are floating around theinternet, I watched quite a few
of them on YouTube.
(15:04):
This footage providedinvestigators with important
information about thehelicopter's positions,
altitudes, flight paths, and theexact sequence of the collision,
all from multiple angles.
So they could reconstruct whathad happened with a that would
have not been possible in anearlier era.
The helicopters themselvesyielded important information.
(15:27):
Neither aircraft had cockpitvoice recorders or flight data
recorders, you know, what theynormally call black boxes.
They weren't required forhelicopters engaged in this type
of flying.
However, modern helicopterscarried various systems that
record certain operationalparameters, and the
investigators worked to extractwhatever data they could.
(15:48):
They also began interviewingwitnesses immediately.
They interviewed everyone.
Witnesses on the ground,passengers who survived, ground
crew at the helipad, otherpilots operating in the area,
and SeaWorld Helicopter'smanagement all provided
statements, each adding theirown little piece to the puzzle.
The preliminary findings of theinvestigation suggested that the
(16:11):
collision was the result of whatthey call a sea and avoid
failure.
Both helicopters had beenoperating in accordance with
their company's procedures, butthe specific circumstances he
had created a situation wherethe ascending helicopter was in
a position that made itdifficult for the descending
pilot to see.
From Michael James's point ofview, in the descending
(16:34):
helicopter, his attention wouldhave been mainly focused on the
landing area directly below andahead of him.
He was conducting a standardapproach, and the helicopter
ascending from the helipad wouldhave been rising into his field
of view from below, an area thatis naturally more difficult to
monitor when a pilot is focusedon landing.
From Ashley Jenkinson'sperspective, in the ascending
(16:57):
helicopter, it was just ascomplex, just slightly
different.
During takeoff, he would havehad to monitor his instruments
to ensure the helicopter isclimbing normally, along with
scanning for other traffic andbegin the transition from hover
to forward flight.
The other chopper descendingfrom above might have been in
his field of view, but may havebeen obscured by the helicopter
(17:21):
structure, or simply not wherehe expected another aircraft to
be, especially when he was toldthat there was no one else in
the area.
The video evidence they hadgathered suggested that the
helicopter's paths converged atalmost the worst possible angle
(17:41):
in timing.
Neither pilot may have had aclear, unobstructed view of the
other aircraft until it was toolate to take evasive action.
In the world of aviation, suchscenarios are sometimes
described as being set up tofail.
Situations where normalprocedures and normal human
capabilities are insufficient toprevent disaster.
(18:03):
Now, the next big question is,why didn't they know the other
helicopter was in the area?
I can see fields of visionsbeing obscured for whatever
reason, but knowing there wasanother chopper nearby should
have warranted extra vigilancein flight.
On his landing approach, Jamessaw the other helicopter on the
landing pad but did not view itas a threat.
(18:25):
At the same time, Jenkinson wason the ground getting his
passengers and chopper preppedfor takeoff and did not hear the
inbound radio call from James.
He was then told by a groundcrew member that the airspace
around him was clear, somethingthat would not be true by the
time he took off.
James up in the air had beenwaiting to hear a taxiing call,
(18:46):
which would have meant thatJenkinson's chopper was taking
off.
However, Jenkinson's chopper hada fucked up antenna that
seriously limited its range.
So when he made his taxiingcall, it never reached James
Chopper, which meant neitherpilot knew the other was there
due to a radio failure.
There was also the matter of theship traveling through the area.
(19:09):
Both pilots would have had tokeep an eye on the ship to avoid
it.
The ship being there would alsohave further divided their
attention away.
The Civil Aviation SafetyAuthority, Australia's aviation
regulator, immediately conductedreviews of helicopter scenic
flight operations nationwide.
They examined processes at otherbusy heliport locations, looking
(19:33):
for similar situations wheremultiple helicopters operated in
close proximity withoutground-based air traffic
control.
SeaWorld Helicopters immediatelysuspended operations following
the crash.
The company, which had operatedfor decades without a fatal
accident, was under severescrutiny.
Their safety procedures,maintenance records, pilot
(19:57):
training, and operationaloversight all came under
examination.
In the months following thecrash, legal proceedings began.
Families of the victims soughtanswers and accountability.
Lawsuits were filed, allegingnegligence in the operation of
the helicopters and inadequacyof safety procedures.
(20:17):
SeaWorld Helicopter facespotential criminal charges
pending the outcome of theinvestigation.
The Coronial Inquest, a legalprocess in Australia where a
coroner investigates sudden orunexplained deaths, would
examine the circumstances indetail.
Coroners have the power to makerecommendations to prevent
(20:37):
similar deaths in the future,and their findings carry
significant weight in drivingregulatory and industry changes.
And currently there is aninquest ongoing and expected to
take up to two weeks with over30 witnesses.
And that was the 2023 SeaWorldHelicopters Mid-air Collision.
(21:03):
Thanks for listening, and if youlike the show, please consider
leaving a rating or review onyour app of choice.
And you can reach out to theshow at history as a disaster at
gmail.com with questions,comments, or suggestions.
As well as following the show onsocial media, like Facebook,
Instagram, a few others, TikTok,YouTube, whatever, and share the
(21:25):
episode.
Your friends will love it.
Take care of yourself out there.
Go to the aquarium, see apenguin, pet the penguin.
They like it when you pet theanimals.
Thanks and goodbye.
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