Speaker 1 (00:00):
G’day, welcome back to Sunrise. In a few hours’ time, a major search for answers will get underway at the inquest into the devastating Sea World helicopter crash that left four people dead on the Gold Coast.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Yeah, the tragedy unfolded in January 2023 when two choppers collided mid-air — one was attempting to land, the other taking off. Now, for the next two weeks, it will be examined in court to reveal exactly what went wrong and to give grieving families some answers.

Speaker 1 (00:29):
For more, aviation lawyer Peter Carter joins us live in Brisbane. Good morning to you. So just take us through what we can expect from this inquest.

Speaker 3 (00:38):
Well, firstly, the coroner this morning will listen to all the people — get the appearances of all those who are legally represented. The counsel assisting the coroner will have a witness list and the order in which they will give their evidence. We’ll hope to get into much greater detail than what the ATSB has already published in their report.

Speaker 2 (01:06):
Yeah, so they found 28 findings of safety issues and failures. How is this different?

Speaker 3 (01:14):
Well, there’ll be more detail. We’ll find out the deductions made by the investigators, which will be subject to scrutiny, and more evidence will emerge on how they arrived at those conclusions.

Speaker 1 (01:30):
What do you think this means for the families of the victims now?

Speaker 3 (01:34):
It means they can get more information on some of the side issues. We already know the obvious conclusion — that the operation was flawed and there were too many aircraft in a congested space. But there are also issues around radio communication and other parties beyond Sea World. Village Roadshow will have something to say, and even the Civil Aviation Safety Authority will have to answer questions as to why this type of operation was permitted. So there’s a lot going on, and I expect over the next two weeks we’ll learn a lot more.

Speaker 2 (02:15):
So what happens after the inquest? Can the coroner make recommendations?

Speaker 3 (02:20):
The coroner can, if she decides, recommend criminal proceedings. I’m not saying either way whether that’s likely — I think it’s probably unlikely — but we won’t know until all the evidence is heard.

Speaker 1 (02:41):
Yeah, this will be heard until the 5th of December. We’ll get you back on, Peter — really appreciate your time.

Speaker 3 (02:46):
Thanks, guys.