Harrowing footage has emerged from inside one of the helicopters involved in the Gold Coast’s shocking helicopter crash.
The video is taken from a passenger on board the chopper that managed to land safely on the sandbank in the Broadwater on Monday.
It shows another passenger pointing to something, before frantically tapping the pilot, Michael James, on the shoulder trying to warn him.
Just seconds later, the rotor of the other helicopter smashes through the windscreen, showering passengers in glass.
All those on board this helicopter survived the collision.
The footage is expected to be very useful for the investigator at The Australian Transport Safety Bureau.
Pilot and lawyer who specialises in aircraft crashes, Peter Carter, has told Seven News the video shows everything appears to be normal leading up to the crash.
“Investigators will be able to correlate the information they can see there with things they already know like altitude and position of the aircraft,” Mr Carter says.
“It also reveals that the pilot was unaware of the other aircraft.”
Mr Carter says blind spots can occur, and it’s possible they simply didn’t see each other.
“That said, what were the procedures of that particular operation company to avoid those types of incidents,”
“Investigators will pay particular attention to the standard operating procedures of Sea World Helicopters.”
The investigation continues.
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