A preliminary report released by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) today has laid out the moments before the fatal crash on the Gold Coast between two sightseeing helicopters.
"The ATSB has released this preliminary report to detail the circumstances of this tragic accident as we currently understand them, but it is important to stress that we are yet to make findings," said ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell.
The collision occurred 120 feet above ground level near the Seaworld helipad in Queensland, around 2pm local time on January 2.
The crash killed four people and injured 10 others, including a group of New Zealanders on holiday. (Source: 1News)
One of the helicopters was completely destroyed, while the other sustained serious damage.
Four people were killed in the tragedy, six sustained serious injuries, and four others had minor injuries.
"The factual information detailed in this report is derived from interviews with survivors of the accident, including the surviving pilot and passengers, and witnesses; analysis of video footage and images taken by passengers on board both helicopters, onlookers on the ground, and CCTV from nearby buildings; examination of the wreckage of both helicopters; and a review of recorded radio calls and aircraft tracking and radar data."
The surviving pilot of the crash has told investigators he didn't recall the other pilot making a standard "taxiing" call announcing their intention to depart.
"This does not necessarily mean that a taxi call was not made, and the ATSB investigation will undertake a detailed analysis of the nature of the radio calls made," Mitchell noted.
Investigators have also generated a 3D model of the view from the pilot's seat in a EC130 helicopter, to look into how visible the aircraft were to each other.
Aircraft operator Seaworld helicopters could face multi million-dollar lawsuits.
New Zealanders Edward Swart, Marle Swart, Riaan Steenberg and Elmarie Steenberg survived the crash.
The couples told 60 Minutes last month about how the crash unfolded and spoke about the guilt they feel from surviving the crash.
Elmarie said in February that she was still discovering new pieces of glass and carbon fibre embedded in her body, that were causing significant pain.
"For me, I just want to get that stuff out of my body because it reminds you of the day," she said.
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