What caused the Gold Coast helicopter crash in January 2023?

A mid-air collision between two Sea World-branded helicopters, potentially due to a faulty radio antenna and pilots not seeing each other, caused the crash.

What new evidence was presented at the helicopter crash inquest?

Previously unseen video footage from inside the helicopters and from ground witnesses was shown, revealing tourists' attempts to warn their pilot.

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Helicopter Crash: Tourists Warned Pilot of Approaching Danger

Q: Who died in the Gold Coast helicopter accident?

Four people died: British tourists Diane and Ron Hughes, pilot Ashley Jenkinson, and Australian Vanessa Tadross.

25 Nov, 2025

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Summary

New video shows tourists warning pilot before fatal helicopter collision.
Inquest revealed faulty radio antenna likely caused communication failure.
Four people, including a British couple, died in the January 2023 crash.

Helicopter Crash: Tourists Warned Pilot of Approaching Danger

Newly released video footage offers a chilling perspective on the moments leading up to a fatal mid-air helicopter collision above Australia's Gold Coast. The recordings, captured from inside both aircraft and by onlookers, were presented at the inquest into the January 2023 tragedy. One video vividly shows tourists inside a helicopter attempting to warn their pilot of an oncoming aircraft just moments before impact.

The collision tragically claimed the lives of four individuals, including British tourists Diane and Ron Hughes, pilot Ashley Jenkinson, and Australian Vanessa Tadross. Their helicopter, airborne for only 25 seconds, plummeted from 40 meters onto a sandbank. Another helicopter managed a miraculous safe landing despite minor injuries to its five passengers.