Aviation company staff member crashed helicopter after farewell drinks

Nautilus Aviation has confirmed one of its staff was flying the helicopter that crashed into a Cairns hotel early on Monday.

The individual, who had a New Zealand licence but was not authorised to fly in Australia, “gained unauthorised access to our helicopter hangar and misappropriated one of our helicopters”, the company said. “We would like to address rumours regarding a gathering of some Nautilus Aviation employees, including off-duty pilots, on Sunday night,” the company said.

The helicopter was seen flying for at least five minutes in the Cairns CBD before it crashed into the hotel roof, smashing the windows of nearby rooms, one of which was occupied by a sleeping elderly couple.

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