Sea World inquest hears crash could have been avoided if pilot looked right

A mid-air chopper collision that killed four people could have been avoided if the pilot had looked right, according to the boss of the helicopter company.

Pilot Ashley Jenkinson, UK tourists Ronald and Diane Hughes and New South Wales tourist Vanessa Tadros were killed when two Sea World helicopters collided near the Gold Coast theme park in 2023.

Sea World Helicopters chief executive Brett Newman told a Brisbane inquest today that he believed pilot Ashley Jenkinson was "totally distracted" by the front row passengers on the joy flight.

He said both passengers were looking to the left, discussing the boats.

"It's my view that [Mr Jenkinson] was looking to the left, talking about the boats," he said.

"[Mr Jenkinson] was the kind of guy that loved to please.

"My view is he was interacting with those people and not concentrating on what he should've been concentrating on."

Mr Newman said if the pilot looked right, he would've seen the other helicopter.

"There could be no doubt to departing pilots where they'd have to look," he said.

“It completely blows me away. I say to myself, how did he not see that helicopter?”

The company is now known as Surfers Paradise Helicopters. Mr Newman said he had accompanied Mr Jenkinson on numerous flights in the lead-up to the collision and reconfirmed procedures and flight paths.

On the day of the crash, the other helicopter pilot, Michael James, had been descending while Mr Jenkinson was taking off.

A preliminary report from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau released in 2023 found Mr James, who managed to land safely, had not heard the call over the radio by Mr Jenkinson.

But Mr Newman believes Mr Jenkinson didn't make the outgoing radio call.

"The assumption there was something wrong with the radio and the other pilot would've picked that up is just ridiculous," he said.

Mr Newman told the inquest that he believes Mr James would have assumed that the other pilot would not have taken off.

"He assumed that he would never take off in front of the other helicopter," he said.

"The fact that helicopter was there was totally alien to Michael and he didn't notice he was there until he took the rotor off his helicopter."

The inquest heard Mr Jenkinson had an interest in cocaine, but his drug use was not known to his employer.

"If I had known, he would've been fired the next day. I have a zero tolerance for drugs," Mr Newman said.

Mr Jenkinson was drug tested twice from 2016 to 2022, according to Mr Newman.

One was a standard pre-employment check and the second was a random drug test.

The inquest heard Mr Jenkinson's partner had found him having a breakdown in the cupboard and in the shower before the busy Christmas period.

Mr Newman said he was unaware of those incidents.

The inquest, led by Coroner Carol Lee, resumed today and will continue for two weeks.

Mr Jenkinson's executive assistant Thalia Ellem told the inquest last year that the pilot went "above and beyond" and prioritised safety.

"Every day Ash would be talking about safety," she said.