Flames leaped into the night sky after the aircraft burst into flames, spilling fuel across the top of the hotel, damaging some upper windows of the seven-story building.
Two holidaymakers who had been sleeping on the top floor of the hotel were taken to hospital with minor injuries.
It disappeared from her sight for a few minutes, and she started walking home before spotting the helicopter flying back.
As she pulled out her phone to film it, the helicopter veered and headed straight toward the nearby well-lit buildings.
She said the helicopter had passed over trees and another taller building before hitting the roof of the hotel.
In a statement to CNN, DoubleTree by Hilton Cairns said all of its guests – 421 adults and 50 children, plus two staff – were safely evacuated.
Other investigators include the forensic crash unit and the ATSB, which sent a team to the crash site on Monday to gather evidence and conduct interviews.
The bureau asked witnesses with any photos or videos of the helicopter to contact authorities through its website.
The group confirmed in a statement that the pilot, who was killed on Monday when a helicopter crashed into the roof of a five-star hotel in Cairns, Australia, was not authorized to fly but worked for the charter company that owned the aircraft.
According to the statement, “friends organized this event, which was not related to work.”.
Early on Monday morning, a helicopter crashed into the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel near the Cairns Esplanade, a popular waterfront boardwalk for tourists visiting the city in north Queensland. Hundreds of guests and staff were evacuated.
When the aircraft caught fire, fuel spilled over the top of the hotel, breaking some of the upper windows of the seven-story structure and sending flames shooting into the night sky.
Two vacationers who had been sleeping on the hotel’s top floor were taken to the hospital with minor wounds.
The pilot had conducted “an unauthorized flight,” according to Queensland Police Acting Assistant Commissioner Shane Holmes on Monday. He did not, however, address whether the helicopter had been taken or whether the crash was intentional, stating that all lines of investigation were still open.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) chief commissioner, Angus Mitchell, stated that investigators surmise that the helicopter took off from the general aviation hangar at Cairns Airport, approximately 3 miles (5 kilometers) away from the hotel.
“We are aware that there may have been rain at the moment and that visibility was low,” he stated.
“We’re interested in learning about the helicopter’s capabilities as well as any possible activities during the flight and its overall nature. “.
A helicopter flew by very low over the water as witness Veronica Knight, who was on a visit to Cairns from Sydney, was sitting on the esplanade and talking on the phone after midnight.
“Full speed ahead,” she informed CNN. After a few minutes, it vanished from her view, and she set out to walk home when she noticed the helicopter returning. The helicopter suddenly turned and flew directly toward the brightly lit buildings as she took out her phone to record it.
It struck the hotel roof moments later, right before two in the morning. M.
In Knight’s videos, smoke and flames can be seen rising from the top of the hotel, and sirens can be heard in the distance.
She said the helicopter had flown over a taller building and some trees before making contact with the hotel’s roof.
It would have been obvious to the pilot that those buildings existed, according to Knight.
Two employees and 421 adults and 50 children, along with the DoubleTree by Hilton Cairns, were all safely evacuated, the hotel said in a statement to CNN.
The ATSB and the forensic crash unit are two more investigative agencies that were dispatched to the crash scene on Monday in order to collect evidence and perform interviews.
The bureau asked witnesses to get in touch with the authorities via its website if they had any images or videos of the helicopter.
