Nautilus Aviation confirm helicopter pilot was ground crew member
By Kristy Sexton-McGrath, Christopher Testa and Sarah Richards for the ABC
A cordon in place at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Cairns.
Photo: Supplied / Queensland Ambulance Service
The pilot who was killed when a helicopter crashed into a Cairns hotel roof in the early hours of Monday morning was a current ground crew employee, who had started working with the company four months ago.
Nautilus Aviation chief executive Aaron Finn confirmed late Tuesday afternoon that a member of their ground staff "gained unauthorised access to [the] helicopter hangar and misappropriated one of [the] helicopters".
He said the employee held a New Zealand pilot's licence but had never flown in Australia.
Finn said there was a gathering of company employees on Sunday night, including off-duty-pilots,...










