ATSB finds faulty radio antenna contributed to fatal Sea World helicopter crash

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has highlighted a series of safety issues, including a fault in the radio antenna of one of the helicopters, contributing to the mid-air collision that claimed the lives of four people and injured nine others on the Gold Coast in January 2023.

Sea World Helicopters chief pilot Ashley Jenkinson, along with three passengers, died when the two helicopters crashed into each other as one took off and the other came into land.

Releasing its final report into the crash today, the ATSB found that a fault in the radio antenna of the departing helicopter that had existed for days was one of many failures that contributed to crash.

Evidence gathered through mobile phone footage also found “passenger seatbelts were incorrectly fitted”.

The new helicopters were also not equipped with UHF internal company radios, an iPad with maps showing real-time positions of other aircraft, or high visibility paint on the helicopter’s rotor blades.

The report found an inbound taxiing call from one of the helicopters failed to register to the second chopper boarding people on the helipad.

The first helicopter waited for a taxi call from the second helicopter to separate to avoid a midair collision but it never came.

The report said the departing pilot made the taxi call but it was not broadcast due to a fault in the antenna that had existed for days.

The report found limitations in visibility from both helicopters, the failed radio transmissions, and competing priorities when looking at boats and other aircraft led to the midair crash.

The report also found Sea World Helicopter’s system of radio calls, hand signals and conspicuity devices, intended to warn of the presence of another helicopter, was flawed.

The ATSB also found evidence that passengers on both of the helicopters were incorrectly restrained but couldn’t determine the level of contribution to their injuries.

Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said a number of the passengers were ejected from their seatbelts during the crash and if seatbelts had been properly fitted it may have led to more “survivability”.

The issues at Sea World Helicopters began nine months before the crash when the helipads were swapped which increased the risk of collision between the choppers.

New helicopters were introduced a week before the crash and were not fitted with company radio communications and no real-time maps of other helicopters.

Mitchell said these changes and others to the company’s operations undermined the existing risk controls to prevent an aircraft crash.

The lack of technology to identify other helicopters and the radio failures led to pilots relying entirely on a see-and-avoid strategy, but with poor visibility it led to the crash.

In March 2023, a preliminary report by the ATSB found Michael James - the pilot of the returning helicopter, who managed to safely land - had not heard a call over the radio by Jenkinson, who was taking off.

In a statement, Sea World Helicopters acknowledged the ATSB's recommendations and said it would "respond within the allocated timeframe".

It added “our company maintains robust safety systems, dedicated support staff and rigorous oversight protocols to uphold the highest standards of aviation safety.”

Images: Sea World Helicopters prior to the 2023 incident (top) and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau’s preliminary flight path reconstruction of the catastrophic incident (below).