The helicopter crash that killed four people on January 2, 2023, is still being investigated by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, with an interim report released yesterday revealing that pilot Ashley Jenkinson had small traces of cocaine in his system at the time.
The early findings indicate the operator did not breach aviation regulations, raising concerns from expert Peter Carter around stricter testing regimes for pilots.
“There’s no breach of any regulation,” Carter said.
“There might be a civil breach because it would appear to be somewhat slack to not have done drug testing more frequently.”
The report said that while it was unlikely such low traces of cocaine could have affected the pilot, the impact on his performance was unknown.
It also said that drug testing was not a regular practice for the industry and that neither pilot was screened for drugs on the day of the crash.
Carter said he believed the full report would put flight regulations under a magnifying glass.
Angus Mitchell, spokesperson for the ATSB, said the final report was a few months away.
“Certainly in the last 12 months, there has been a lot that’s come out of this already,” he said.
The crash between two helicopters killed Jenkinson, British newlyweds Diane and Ron Hughes, and Sydney woman Vanessa Tadros.
Melbourne mother Winnie De Silva, her nine-year-old son Leon, and Tadros’ 10-year-old son Nicholas were also injured in the crash.
A preliminary report found that the pilot of the helicopter approaching the landing pad did not see a second helicopter in the air, nor did they hear a radio call announcing the helicopter’s position, before the fatal collision.
