Transcript:

Speaker 1:
… This morning. We have new video to show you of that chopper on the Gold Coast. There’s a warning with this, you may find some of this vision confronting.

Speaker 2:
The footage does show a passenger in the cockpit attempting to alert the pilot just moments before the collision. For more, we’re joined by aircraft accident lawyer, Peter Carter, who’s on the Gold Coast. Peter, good morning to you. This video is-

Peter Carter:
Good morning.

Speaker 2:
Obviously going to be a significant piece of evidence for investigators.

Peter Carter:
Yes, it’ll be very helpful for the investigators. It’ll confirm a lot of what they already know. It depicts the altitude of the aircraft. It shows that the operations were normal, and it shows that the aircraft had already passed the landing site where the other helicopter had apparently taken off from, and the pilot was unaware of that.

Speaker 1:
What will investigators be focusing on now as they examine the wreckage?

Peter Carter:
Well, they’ll be focusing on why the two aircraft were in that position at the same time and why there was no awareness of that. In a situation like that, where a relatively confined space, multiple operations at high turnaround, there need to be procedures for separation. So, they’ll first look at those procedures, what they were. They’ll look at the performance of the pilots, their duty times, their activities in the last 24 hours. They will then examine the communications between the aircraft on the area frequency and on the company frequency to see what was said about arrivals and departures.

Speaker 2:
Peter, I know this is very early in the investigation, but is there a case for compensation for those involved in the crash? Victim’s families?

Peter Carter:
Well, it’s certainly very early in the investigation, but yes, there’ve been injuries, there’ve been loss of life. There is a case for compensation for passengers and potentially others as well.

Speaker 1:
How long do investigations like this usually take, and when will we get our first indication of any kind of conclusion?

Peter Carter:
Because of the public interest, I think we’ll see the ATSB publish information when a major development occurs. But typically, an interim report will come out about four to six weeks after the accident. Unfortunately, the final report will usually be delayed by at least 12 months. There’s a lot to be investigated. A lot of things have to be excluded, including aircraft componentry, engine management, fuel management, and the history of the pilots and the aircraft themselves.

Speaker 1:
Yeah, it will be along and we’ll have lots of people watching as it all happens. Thank you for your expertise this morning and we’ll speak to you throughout this investigation because plenty more still to come.