Transcript:

Monique:
Extraordinary video has emerged from inside one of the two helicopters that crashed on the Gold Coast, and it’s going to be key to help investigators piece together exactly what went wrong. It shows the horrifying moment of impact. Everyone on board this helicopter survived, but tragically, four people on the other helicopter were killed in that collision.
Peter Carter is a pilot and lawyer who specializes in aircraft accidents and he joins us now. Peter, thanks so much for being with us. What do you see when you look at that video?

Peter Carter:
Good morning, Monique. It’s a very useful video for the investigators. They’ll be able to correlate the information they can see there with some things they already know like altitude and position of the aircraft. It also reveals that everything appeared to be normal leading up to the accident. It shows the… my estimation, the aircraft’s about probably below 1,000 feet. It’s just passed one of the landing zones. The helicopter landing zone looks like the northernmost landing site that has just passed. It reveals that the pilot was unaware of the other aircraft. It suggests, perhaps, that one of the passengers may have been alerted to something and is trying to get the pilot’s attention.

Monique:
I mean, it certainly seems like that, doesn’t it?

Peter Carter:
[inaudible 00:01:29].

Monique:
And then there’s that… he’s tapping him quite vigorously on the shoulder and then that grip on the seat like that passenger knows that the impact is about to happen. Can you talk to us about blind spots in aviation and whether that would make up part of this investigation?

Peter Carter:
I just missed you there. Did you say blind spots?

Monique:
Yes. Yeah, blind spots.

Peter Carter:
Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Well, that’s frequently occurs in… and pilots are aware of those types of issues. The ascending helicopter may not have been able to see the arriving helicopter and likewise, vice versa. But that said, there should have been, and this is something the investigators will pay particular attention to. What were the procedures of that particular operation company to avoid those types of incidents. And the investigators will pay particular attention to the standard operating procedures of Sea World helicopters.

Monique:
Because they’re doing these so frequently. Some of the helicopter rides are only 10 minutes in length. That means that they know this route so well, this takeoff and landing. Is there a general rule about who gives way, someone ascending or descending?

Peter Carter:
Well, the obligation in that type of uncontrolled airspace is for see and be seen and to keep a proper lookout. The pilot has an obligation to maintain separation. Both pilots have an obligation to maintain separation. Usually, the arriving aircraft would be… they both, of course, have obligations to make broadcasts about their intention on the radio frequency that they would both be monitoring. So the investigators will need to listen to those broadcasts. They’ll have transcripts from Air Services Australia. They’ll be able to tell whether the appropriate broadcasts were made. The departing helicopter ought to have a broadcast that he was departing and likewise, the other aircraft.

Monique:
Yep. I mean, things look normal in that aircraft. We just don’t know what was happening in the other one. Plenty more to go in this investigation. Thank you, Peter.

Peter Carter:
Thank you, Monique. Good morning.

Monique:
[inaudible 00:03:50].