Pilot in helicopter crash that killed British couple ‘had cocaine in his system’
The pilot of a helicopter that crashed and killed a British couple in Australia had cocaine in his system, a report has found.
Ron Hughes, 65, and his wife Diane, 57, were on a sightseeing trip near Sea World in Queensland when their helicopter crashed midair with another on 2 January 2023.
The couple from Cheshire died at the scene, as did fellow passenger Vanessa Tadros, 36, from New South Wales, and pilot Ashley Jenkinson, 40.
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Emergency crews were at the scene where one of the helicopters was upside down on the ground
A year on from the accident, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has released an interim report that notes a toxicology report for Mr Jenkinson shows a positive result for cocaine metabolites.
However, the report concludes that the “very low concentrations” means it was “unlikely” that this would have impaired his flying ability.
Chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said the metabolite levels suggest “exposure was not likely to have occurred in the 24 hours prior to the accident”.
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Pilot Ashley Jenkinson had “very low” levels of cocaine metabolites in his system Pic: Ritchie Gregg
He added: “It is important to note while this is a substantive and comprehensive interim report, the ATSB is yet to make formal findings as to the contributing factors that led to this accident as we are continuing our analysis of that evidence.”
Mr Jenkinson’s family has welcomed the interim report, according to local media, but asked those who knew him to not let it “tarnish the memory” of the pilot.
The aftermath of a helicopter collision on the Gold Coast
They are also urging people to read the full report which found “multiple contributing factors to this terrible accident”.
The ATSB investigation has also found some of the passengers’ seatbelts were not fitted correctly, partly due to “interference from their lifejackets”.
Mr Mitchell said this was “not attributed to the tragic outcomes in this case”.
The crash saw two Eurocopter EC130 helicopters collide midair as one was on approach to land and another had just taken off from a separate helipad.
World
The walls are closing in on Benjamin Netanyahu as US largely silent after deadly strike on Rafah
There have been many potential turning points in this war, and every time Israel has remained determinedly on the path it’s set: to destroy Hamas.
The deadly strike in Rafah on Sunday night feels like another of those moments, and, possibly, could be the point that Benjamin Netanyahu is forced to turn.
The White House is yet to comment fully, but Joe Biden had been openly opposed to a major Israeli offensive inside Rafah – this will surely have confirmed their fears.
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That position is only likely to harden if it’s found US-supplied weapons were used.
This strike happened only days after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered a halt to operations in Rafah and less than a week after the International Criminal Court sought warrants for Mr Netanyahu and Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant’s arrests.
Benjamin Netanyahu remains defiant but is rapidly losing friends, Alistair Bunkall says. File pic: AP
It’s assumed the UN Security Council will sit this week to discuss the ICJ ruling – what the US will choose to do is still unclear.
Israel will hope, and expect, they have their backs as usual, but doing so would undermine international law and risk Mr Biden being called a hypocrite after he so fulsomely supported a similar ruling against Russia in 2022.
European countries have mostly come out very strongly against Israel – President Emmanuel Macron said he was “outraged”, the Italian government said the fighting cannot go on, and the European Union is starting to discuss the previously unthinkable: sanctions.
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ICJ orders Israel to halt Rafah offensive
That course, if it’s taken, would harm Israel far more than Europe.
Under what is known as the EU-Israel Association Agreement, the two sides trade goods worth €47bn (£39bn) annually.
However, while the EU is Israel’s largest trade partner, Israel only represents less than 1% of the EU’s total trade.
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Sir Keir Starmer said he would tell Mr Netanyahu to stop fighting, if he was prime minister now. The actual Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is yet to comment.
But there is a sense now that the walls are closing in on Mr Netanyahu and this government, that allies are stepping back from Israel, that international institutions are gathering momentum.
The Israeli prime minister remains defiant, but he is losing friends, and fast.
Eight people have been taken to hospital due to turbulence on a flight to Dublin.
Dublin Airport said six passengers and six crew members on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Dublin were hurt after experiencing turbulence over Turkey.
In a later statement, the airport said all passengers were assessed for injury before getting off the plane and eight were taken to hospital.
Graeme McQueen, a spokesman for DAA, the operator of Dublin Airport, told Sky News the aircraft was met by emergency services upon landing shortly before 1pm on Sunday.
Qatar Airways described the injuries sustained by passengers and crew as “minor”.
It said: “[They] are now receiving medical attention… The safety and security of our passengers and crew are our top priority.”
An internal investigation into what happened has now been launched.
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Earlier this week, in a separate incident, a British man died on a Singapore Airlines flight after extreme turbulence on a Heathrow-Singapore journey.
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Turbulence is defined as a sudden change in airflow and wind speed.
It can often be associated with storm clouds, which are usually well forecast and monitored, allowing planes to fly around them, Sky News weather producer Jo Robinson said.
Clear-air turbulence (CAT) is much more dangerous as there are no visual signs, such as clouds.
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This invisible vertical air movement usually occurs at and above 15,000ft and is mostly linked to the jet stream.
It is unclear what type of turbulence the Qatar Airways flight went through.
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