New video has emerged filmed by one of the surviving passengers of a helicopter involved in a mid-air crash, showing the terrifying moment of impact and one passenger’s attempts to warn the pilot of the coming collision.
The video was taken by a tourist in the cockpit of one of the two helicopters that crashed near Sea World on Australia’s Gold Coast, killing four people and critically injuring three others.
Shot by a passenger in the back seat, the 15-second clip starts with the camera panning around the windows from right to left, the coastline visible not far away.
The person sitting in the middle of the back seat points off in the distance, then pauses for a moment with their hand in mid-air before tapping the pilot on the shoulder.
The tapping quickly becomes more frantic before they grasp the pilot’s chair just before the moment of impact.
The camera swings to the side as glass shatters over the passengers after the rotor of the other helicopter slams into their aircraft.
The pilot managed to land the helicopter safely on a sandbank, with those on board suffering minor injuries, mainly from the impact of the glass.
Two couples from New Zealand, Elmarie and Riaan Steenberg and Edward and Marle Swart, and one other woman were on the helicopter.
A statement from the couples said they were “completely devastated” by the crash, in which a “fun 5-minute joy ride on vacation to Australia turned into a nightmare”.
“Our deepest sympathies and sincere condolences to the injured and the deceased and the families,” it read.
“We are grateful and blessed to have been spared but very sad for the people who lost loved ones and the little ones and mum fighting for their lives in hospital. Our hearts are so heavy for them.
“Our gratitude goes out to every bystander who ran to help, every police officer and emergency services personnel who helped us with our immediate needs keeping us calm and making us comfortable. We saw mateship in action. Australians come together to help in time of need.
“To our pilot who, through all the chaos, landed the helicopter safely, keeping us and other bystanders safe. You are our hero. Thank you so very much.”
Four of the seven on board the other helicopter died, including the pilot, a 36-year-old mother and a British couple on holiday in Australia.
