Speaker 1 (00:00):
…in the investigation.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
Let’s bring in pilot and aviation lawyer, Peter Carter. Now Peter, thanks for your time. What will the ATSB look for in their investigation?

Speaker 1 (00:12):
Well, first of all, as they said, they want to be able to identify who the pilot was so they can put together a sequence of events leading up to the accident and the aircraft being stolen in order to determine, among other things, the pilot’s motivation for this escapade.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
So parts of the chopper were found in the hotel’s pool and in parkland opposite. What does that tell us about the crash?

Speaker 1 (00:37):
It tells us that the aircraft was still delivering power at the time of impact, most likely. And that the strength of the power was such that a part of the rotor flew quite some distance. It also could be telling of some equipment failure of a component of the aircraft.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
And the Cairns Esplanade is a designated no-fly zone. Is that something the pilot would’ve known?

Speaker 1 (01:09):
It’s in the Cairns airport control zone, yes. So that would be, of course, known to the pilot, assuming that the pilot had a high level of experience. He must have had some experience to be able to fly the aircraft. But all these things are matters for the investigation.

Speaker 2 (01:30):
Peter Carter, thanks for your insight.