Recently, a married couple were among 4 people killed in a mid-air helicopter collision over a crowded waterfront at a popular Australian tourist destination on Monday.
The crash occurred near Most important Beach on Australia’s Gold Coast and involved two aircraft operated by Sea World Helicopters carrying a total of 13 people, including the pilots.
One in every of the pilots died in the crash and the opposite miraculously landed his plane on a sandy outcrop, despite being damaged in the collision.
“Given the damage that was done to the front left section of the helicopter where the pilot was sitting, this was a remarkable achievement,” said Australian Transport Safety Bureau Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell, whose office is investigating the crash.
“So while it was very tragic that 4 people lost their lives and lots of persons are mourning this morning, we could have had a much worse situation here and the proven fact that one helicopter managed to land was quite remarkable,” added Mitchell. .
![Two mangled tourist helicopters are seen following a deadly collision on Monday on Australia's Gold Coast.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/four-killed-helicopters-collide-australia-feat-image.jpg?w=1024)
![Diane Hughes, 57, and her husband Ron Hughes, 65, from the UK, pictured on their wedding day in 2021, were among the dead.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/four-killed-helicopters-collide-australia-14-1.jpg?w=1024)
![Vanessa Tadros, 36, from Sydney, was killed and her 10-year-old son seriously injured.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/four-killed-helicopters-collide-australia-15.jpg?w=1024)
The victims were identified as Diane Hughes, 57, and her husband Ron Hughes, 65, from the UK; Vanessa Tadros, 36, from Sydney, Australia, and veteran Sea World Helicopters pilot Ashley Jenkinson, 40.
Three passengers, including two children, were seriously injured in the accident.
Tadros’ 10-year-old son remained in hospital in critical condition together with 33-year-old Winnie de Silva from Geelong. De Silva’s 9-year-old son Leon is in stable condition reports the Sydney Morning Herald.
![Veteran Sea World Helicopters, 40-year-old Ashley Jenkinson, who gave birth to a son in September, died in the crash.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/four-killed-helicopters-collide-australia-13-1.jpg?w=1024)
De Silva’s husband, Neil, wrote in a GoFundMe campaign description that his wife and son are “alive but have multiple surgeries ahead.”
The Hughes from Liverpool married in August 2021 and traveled to Australia to go to Ron’s adult daughter and her family, reports The Guardian.
Jenkinson has been a chief pilot at Sea World Helicopters since 2019, and friends have praised his mentor and the assistance he provided during last yr’s disastrous flooding in Latest South Wales. The Gold Coast Bulletin reported that he welcomed a son along with his partner in September.
That is how Ritchie Gregg, a close friend of Jenkinson’s, described him BBC news as a “gentle giant” and a “silent hero”.
“He’s all the time been there helping the community – from the bushfires a few years ago to the floods last yr,” said Gregg.
“If it wasn’t for him, many individuals wouldn’t have received the assistance they received,” added the friend.
Jenkinson’s Airbus helicopter was in the air for lower than 20 seconds when it collided with a second Sea World helicopter that was attempting to land.
![](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/four-killed-helicopters-collide-australia-10-1-1.jpg?w=1024)
![Five of the six people in the second helicopter were injured by broken glass.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/four-killed-helicopters-collide-australia-12-2.jpg?w=1024)
Mitchell said Jenkinson’s plane’s essential rotor blade made contact with the nose cockpit of the descending helicopter.
“This in itself led to the separation of the essential rotor and gearbox from this helicopter, which meant that unfortunately it had no lift on the time and fell heavily to the bottom,” he said.
Among the many occupants of the helicopter, which landed safely, were two couples in their 40s from Latest Zealand and a 27-year-old woman from Western Australia. Three of the five passengers remain in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after being washed clean with glass.
![Investigators will work to determine what was happening in the cockpits of the helicopters at the time of the collision.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/four-killed-helicopters-collide-australia-02-1.jpg?w=1024)
Investigators remained on the crash site, however the rising tide made gathering evidence difficult.
Mitchell said investigators wanted to find out what was happening in the “cockpit on the time” of the crash.
Village Roadshow Theme Parks, which owns Sea World Helicopters, said in a statement it was cooperating with authorities while “expressing my deepest condolences to those affected” by the tragedy.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also offered “deepest sympathy to those that are bereaved.
“Australia is shocked by the news of the terrible and tragic helicopter incident…on the Gold Coast,” he wrote on social media.
With postal wires