Trace elements of cocaine were found in the body of one of the pilots involved in last January’s fatal midair collision of two air tour helicopters in Queensland, according to an interim accident report released yesterday by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB). The pilot and three of his passengers died when their Airbus EC130B4 hit another helicopter at the Sea World Marine Park on Jan. 2, 2023.
The six people aboard the other EC130B4 survived with various injuries. The pilot of that helicopter was not tested for alcohol or drugs following the accident; however, both pilots were checked for alcohol and tested negative for it before flying that day. Both pilots had completed the company’s drug and alcohol management plan.
The ATSB concluded that the cocaine metabolites in the pilot's system indicated likely cocaine usage approximately four days before the flight, but that it probably did not impair his ability to fly on the accident day. “It is unlikely there would have been impairment of his psychomotor skills,” the ATSB reported, with the caveat, “It is not known whether post-cocaine exposure effects of the drug which can include fatigue, depression, and inattention had any effect on the performance of the pilot.”