The young pilot who died after he stole a helicopter and crashed it into a Cairns hotel posted just months ago about how excited he was for his ‘next adventure’.
New Zealander Blake Wilson, 23, was piloting the R44 Robinson helicopter when it crashed into the roof of DoubleTree by Hilton at about 1.50am on Monday.
He died at the scene.
The tragedy comes months after the young man had moved to Cairns to live out his dream after completing his training to be a pilot at Christchurch Helicopters.
He held a New Zealand pilot’s licence but had never flown in .
In March he posted on Instagram about how excited he was for his next adventure in Far North Queensland.
‘I’m very proud to announce that I’m officially a Commercial Helicopter Pilot.
‘It was a busy 18 months of hard mahi (work), late nights in the books and some challenging days in the seat but all up an incredible experience,’ he captioned the post.
New Zealander Blake Wilson (pictured) was piloting a R44 Robinson helicopter when it crashed into the roof of DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton crash in Cairns
Mr Wilson (pictured) had moved to Cairns to live out his dream after completing his training to be a pilot at Christchurch Helicopters
‘Big thanks to Christchurch Helicopters for giving me the opportunity and tools to launch into the start of my career.
‘Also my friends, family and others who have supported me and helped me fulfil this dreams. ‘It’s the closure of the first chapter in this adventure and I look forward to many more.’
The young man shared multiple pictures from his time training to be a helicopter pilot.
In one post he described training to be ‘one of the harder but most rewarding things I’ve done’.
His final post, from May, shows him on a hike with friends and swimming in a waterfall.
A friend shared a post on Tuesday night, describing Mr Wilson as ‘caring’ and ‘genuine’.
‘I will miss you immensely,’ they said.
Mr Wilson, from Palmerston North, had worked as ground staff for Nautilus Aviation for about four months.
He was not cleared to fly helicopters.
‘Although the employee held a New Zealand CPL(H) pilot’s licence, they have never flown in or for Nautilus Aviation and were not authorised to fly Nautilus Aviation helicopters,’ the company said in a statement.
Mr Wilson had been celebrating at his own leaving do on Sunday evening after securing a new job at Nautilus Aviation’s base on Long Island in the Whitsundays when the tragedy unfolded.
Up to 400 people were evacuated from the Far North Queensland hotel in the early hours of Monday morning.
Mr Wilson (left) held a New Zealand pilot’s licence but had never flown in prior to the crash
In one post Mr Wilson (pictured) described training to be ‘one of the harder but most rewarding things I’ve done’
Nautilus Aviation, the company that owned the helicopter, confirmed the pilot had worked for them as a ground crew member for about four months and had been celebrating their final day with colleagues before moving to another air base.
‘We would like to address rumours regarding a gathering of some Nautilus Aviation employees, including off-duty pilots, on Sunday night,’ the company stated.
‘We can confirm this event did occur and was a privately organised send-off for the individual involved in Monday morning’s incident, who was recently promoted to a ground crew position at another one of our bases.
‘This was not a work event and was co-ordinated by friends.’
Queensland Fire Gold Coast zone commander Greg Tomlinson said earlier on Tuesday it was ‘pure luck’ no one else was injured in the incident.
Cairns airport chief executive Richard Baker confirmed a review was conducted following the incident
‘Cairns airport operates under a federally approved, multi-layered transport security program,’ Mr Baker said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon.
‘To reassure our community, we wish to confirm a review has been conducted, showing no compromise of our airport fence or access points.
‘To allow investigators to do their vital work, we will not provide further comment at this time.’
Mr Wilson (pictured), from Palmerston North, had worked as ground staff for Nautilus Aviation for about four months. He was not cleared to fly helicopters
Mr Baker added his thoughts were with those affected by the incident, including the loved ones of the pilot and those at charter company Nautilus Aviation, which owned the helicopter, and the airport.
Queensland Police Service Acting Chief Superintendent Shane Holmes was repeatedly asked on Monday if he knew the motivation of the pilot but declined to give a conclusive answer.
When asked if it looked like a deliberate act or an accident, Superintendent Holmes simply said it was ‘unknown at this stage’ but believed it was an ‘isolated incident’.