NEED TO KNOW
An inquest into the fatal mid-air collision between two Sea World Helicopters has begun in Queensland, Australia, according to local media reports
The January 2023 crash left four people dead and eight hospitalized
Survivors of the crash have recalled the last moments of the two flights, with one describing being pinned under the “hot” wreckage of one of the choppers, per ABC
The survivors of a fatal helicopter crash on Australia’s Gold Coast in January 2023 have recounted the deadly last moments of the flight.
On Monday, Nov. 24, an inquest into the mid-air collision between two Sea World helicopters that killed four people began, with survivors sharing their accounts of what happened, according to news.com.au, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and The Australian. Eight others were hospitalized following the crash, with three in critical condition.
The collision occurred 130 feet above the water on Jan. 2, 2023, when a Sea World Helicopter took off and collided with another Sea World Helicopter that was landing per ABC and news.com.au.
Chief pilot Ashley Jenkinson, 40, Sydney woman Vanessa Tadros, 36, and U.K. couple Ron and Diane Hughes, aged 65 and 67, died in the crash, per U.K. newspaper The Guardian.
JONO SEARLE/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
One of the helicopters is towed away
The pilot of the other chopper, Michael James, was able to land safely nearby, according to ABC.
Winnie De Silva, who was a passenger on the helicopter flown by Jenkinson, told Queensland Coroners Court that she and her son were visiting Sea World and decided to book a ride in the “spur-of-the-moment.”
“Once I heard the bang, and shaking started happening, and things started falling on our faces, that’s when I realized we weren’t going to be safe … the shaking was just terrible,” she told the court, per ABC.
“When it started shaking, I was so worried, I was holding my son,” De Silva added, also sharing that she did not the other helicopter before the collision. “It was steaming in a way that was so uncomfortable, I just remember closing my eyes and telling my son to do the same.”
She went on to say that after regaining consciousness, she realized that she was trapped under the wreckage.
“There was hot [machinery] on my body, and I was screaming for help,” she said, per the outlet, adding that her shoulder is “still injured” from the incident after being pinned under the wreckage.
De Silva was found by Acting Senior Sergeant Justin Dunn from Gold Coast Water Police, who described the hot and dangerous conditions as aviation fuel poured over them, per news.com.au.
Another passenger, Jessie Maya, who was riding on the VH-XH9 flight piloted by James, told the court he was “in shock” during the “traumatic” crash.
“It was a big blur for me, once the collision hit, I really don’t know much … I don’t know how I got out of the helicopter,” he said, according to ABC.
JONO SEARLE/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Floral tributes laid near the crash site
Maya was also filming at the time the collision occurred, with some of the footage being played to the court.
In the footage, the aircraft piloted by Jenkinson can be seen flying in their direction, slightly below their aircraft.
Another clip shared by The Guardian, filmed by Riaan Steenburg, captures more passengers inside the VH-XH9 flight as one tries to get James’ attention after noticing the other helicopter.
The footage then cuts at the moment the collision occurs and the glass of the helicopters shatters. The court was also shown CCTV footage of the helicopter piloted by Jenkinson plummeting to the ground, per ABC.
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“The fundamental question is how could that situation unfold between two highly experienced pilots?” counsel assisting Ian Harvey told the court, according to the outlet.
A 2023 preliminary report from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said that James did not hear Jenkinson’s radio call that said he was taking off.
Another report from the ATSB in April concluded that a faulty radio antenna contributed to the crash, with “limited opportunities” for the pilots to detect one another, per the outlet.
PEOPLE has contacted Queensland Coroners Court.
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