By David Chen for ABC
The wreckage of one of two helicopters that collided on the Gold Coast on 2 January 2023. Photo: AFP/ handout / ABC
An interim report into last year's fatal Sea World helicopter crash on the Gold Coast, which involved two New Zealand families, has found the pilot killed in the disaster tested positive for traces of cocaine.
Sea World Helicopters chief pilot Ashley Jenkinson, New South Wales woman Vanessa Tadros and UK couple Diane and Ron Hughes died when two choppers crashed into each other as one took off and the other came in to land.
Three passengers, including two children, were also critically injured.
One of the two helicopters involved was able to be landed, carrying the New Zealanders; five of the six people on board escaped with minor injuries and another was unhurt.
Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has been investigating for the past year and has interviewed key witnesses, examined both helicopters and reviewed other evidence such as flight tracking information.
Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said a toxicology report for Jenkinson returned a positive result for low levels of cocaine metabolites.
Sea World Helicopters pilot Ashley Jenkinson died in a helicopter crash on the Gold Coast, in January 2023.
Sea World Helicopters pilot Ashley Jenkinson, who was killed in the crash, on an earlier flight to transport supplies for flood-affected communities in northern NSW. Photo: Supplied/ Facebook: Sea World Helicopters
"A forensic pharmacologist engaged by the ATSB has stated that the very low concentrations of these metabolites suggest exposure was not likely to have occurred in the 24 hours prior to the accident," Mitchell said.
"It is unlikely there would have been impairment of the pilot's psychomotor skills."
But the ATSB said it was not known whether side effects of the drug which "can include fatigue, depression and inattention" had any effect on Jenkinson's performance.
Seven occupants of the second helicopter, including its pilot Michael James, survived the crash.
Ashley's memory
Jenkinson's family said the finding should not tarnish his memory.
"We know there will be significant attention to this finding. We request people not be distracted by this one element of the interim report or this be the sole focus of the report," they said in a statement.
"It seems clear there were multiple issues with communication infrastructure, visibility, congestion and safety protocols identified among others."
"We urge that this finding does not tarnish the memory of Ashley, the person he was, the friend he was and all the hours and days of good deeds he did during his lifetime."
Jenkinson's family said they would not be making any further comments and expressed their gratitude to the ATSB for its "care and thoroughness" during the investigation.
Further investigations
The ATSB said the report was intended to update the industry and that it had not made any formal findings.
Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said the ATSB had not made any formal findings yet. Photo: Supplied/ ABC News
Mitchell said the bureau would now look at any systemic factors.
"This was a tragic accident, and it is our responsibility to make findings and drive safety actions, which reduce the likelihood of a similar occurrence in the future," Mitchell said.
The report also noted several safety improvements by Sea World Helicopters, including increased communication protocols and steps taken to make its helicopters more visible.
As a result of the investigation, the ATSB also issued a safety notice in September after finding seatbelts on passengers were not being fitted correctly on a regular basis.
The ATSB found problems with the way passengers were belted in the helicopters. Photo: Supplied/ ATSB
"Our investigators identified a potentially common lack of understanding in the broader helicopter tourism community about how ... life jackets should be worn in conjunction with seatbelts," Mitchell said.
"This correlated with a discovery that some passengers' seatbelts were not fitted correctly in this accident, in part due to interference from their life jackets - although we have not attributed this to the tragic outcomes in this case."
The ATSB said it expected to finalise its report in the third quarter of 2024.
- This story was first published by ABC, with additional reporting by RNZ.