Police and air safety experts are investigating the death of a pilot when a helicopter crashed into the roof of a hotel in Cairns early this morning.
Emergency services were called to the intersection of The Esplanade and Florence Street in the Far North Queensland city at about 1.50 am following reports of a twin-engine helicopter colliding with the roof of a hotel.
The impact caused a fire on top of the hotel, but the building was evacuated as a precaution and there were no injuries sustained by people on the ground.
Two elderly hotel guests in shock were taken to hospital for treatment.
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The pilot of the helicopter was found and declared dead at the scene. Forensic investigations are underway to formally identify them.
The police Forensic Crash Unit, working alongside the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), will prepare a report for the coroner.
An exclusion zone remains in place for The Esplanade, Minnie, Abbott and Florence streets.
Witness Veronica Knight told Today the helicopter came from over the pier and “exploded straight into the building”.
“It lost control and it was going just too fast.
“It didn’t make sense to me. It’s not normal for a helicopter to move that fast.”
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