Workers prepare to remove a crashed helicopter that collided with another helicopter in Gold Coast on 2 January. Photo: AFP/ handout / ABC
It should have been the holiday of a lifetime.
Crowds flocked to the glitz and bustle of the Gold Coast, eager to make lasting memories with loved ones as they said goodbye to a trying year and welcomed in a new one.
Among them were 13 visitors from Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Keen to catch a glimpse of Queensland's sparking turquoise waters and a sprawling coastline that draws crowds from around the world, the group climbed onboard two Sea World Helicopters.
Little did they know that a five-minute joy ride would soon become an unforgettable day for all the wrong reasons.
Onboard the helicopter with the company's chief pilot Ashley Jenkinson were British couple Diane and Ron Hughes, Sydney mum Vanessa Tadros and her son, Nicky, 10 and Victorian mum Winnie De Silva, with her son, Leon, 9.
Tadros and her son had a photo taken of them moments before they climbed into the helicopter and took to the skies.
As the passengers' loved ones waved them off, another helicopter was making its return journey.
Pilot Michael James was bringing New Zealand holiday makers Edward and Marle Swart, and their friends Riaan and Elmarie Steenberg, along with a West Australian man back from the same sightseeing circuit.
A mere 20 seconds later, the lives of the 13 people onboard - and their loved ones - would be changed forever.
Ascending to the skies just seconds after take-off, Jenkinson's helicopter collided with the landing helicopter.
Riaan and Elmarie Steenberg and Edward and Marle Swart from New Zealand were on vacation in Queensland when the Sea World helicopter they were in collided with another. Photo: Supplied
Horror unfolds in the skies
Footage filmed by a passenger inside James' helicopter shows the frantic moment before the collision, with at least one tourist desperately trying to warn their pilot of the impending crash.
Glass is seen shattering through the cockpit of James' helicopter as passengers plunged through the air.
The main rotor blades of the ascending helicopter struck the cockpit of the other chopper on its left-hand side, sending the rising helicopter plummeting to the ground, where it landed upside down on a sandbar.
Despite significant damage, James was able to regain control of his helicopter and make a miraculous emergency landing on the same sandbar.
On the ground, scores of holiday makers cooling off in the ocean or lined up at Sea World watched the horror unfold above, fearful the helicopters might crash on top of crowds.
Sea World staff and recreational boaties rushed to the sandbar in a desperate effort to save the passengers.
Emergency services rendered first aid at the scene, rushing 13 people to hospital, three with critical injuries, six with serious injuries and four with minor injuries.
The lives of four passengers were cut devastatingly short that day: UK couple Ron and Diane Hughes, Vanessa Tadros from Sydney and pilot Ashley Jenkinson.
The pilot of the other helicopter, Michael James, has been since hailed a hero for "remarkably" landing his helicopter, preventing further fatalities.
Tadros's son, Nicky, suffered critical injuries and has since been fighting for his life in the Gold Coast University Hospital.
A special mass will be held at the Western Sydney church attended by the Tadros family in dedication to the boy affectionately known as "Little Nicky".
Parish priest, Father Suresh Kumar, has pleaded for people to "pray for a miracle".
Father Suresh Kumar said Nicky's school friends, teachers and fellow parish members at St Padre Pio Parish were praying for his healing and for the "repose of the soul" of his mum, Vanessa.
Vanessa's husband and Nicky's father, Simon Tadros, was among those standing on the Broadwater, helplessly watching on as his most-precious loved ones plunged to the ground.
He later announced his wife's death and the closure of her events planning business in a post to social media.
Rising tides threaten vital evidence
As rising tides threatened to wash away perishable evidence in the hours after the crash, investigators removed crucial clues from the sandbar overnight and moved the helicopters ashore.
The following day, investigators began scouring the wreckage and interviewing witnesses to determine the forces at play.
In a bid to piece together what led to the tragedy, the Australian Safety Transport Bureau's chief Angus Mitchell called for witnesses to come forward, along with any mobile phone or CCTV footage.
Only a day before the crash, the De Silva family had travelled to the Gold Coast from Victoria for a family reunion to celebrate their new life.
Winnie De Silva had moved to Geelong, south of Melbourne, after migrating from Kenya and had only recently secured a visa for her son, Leon, 9.
Her husband, Neil De Silva, waved off his wife and stepson on their joy flight, telling Channel 9 that Leon had wanted to see the dolphins at Sea World from the skies.
The two helicopters resting in the water after the crash. Photo: Handout / ABC / AFP
On a tight budget, the family booked the flight as an add-on experience for about $70.
He said in the accident his wife had suffered two broken legs, along with a broken shoulder and collar bone, while Leon was in a critical condition battling severe head injuries.
The boy was was airlifted to the Queensland Children's Hospital while Winnie De Silva remained at Gold Coast University Hospital.
In a statement from hospital yesterday, Winnie De Silva, now in a stable condition, thanked the public for their "kind thoughts and healing prayers" after such an "unthinkable time".
After speaking with her son over video call, she said he was "getting stronger each day".
From hospital, De Silva said she continued to pray for Nicky Tadros, who was seated near her in the same helicopter.
'Huge hole' left in UK family
Arriving on the Gold Coast last week, UK nationals Ron and Diane Hughes finally had the chance to reunite with their Australian family after years of border closures.
Described as a "generous, loyal, fun-loving couple who had a zest for life", their family say they were loved and adored by everyone they met.
Like the others, the chopper flight was meant to be nothing more than a memory of happy holidays Down Under.
Instead, "a huge hole" has been left in two families across both the UK and Australia.
"They will be survived by parents, brothers, sons, daughters and their cheeky grandkids," the pair's family said.
Elmarie Steenberg and Marle Swart who were on vacation, they were both released from hospital on Thursday after the crash. Photo: Supplied
But the Hughes were not the only tourists from abroad caught in the tragedy.
New Zealanders Edward and Marle Swart had been holidaying with their close friends Riaan and Elmarie Steenberg when they decided to take their helicopter trip.
Onboard the second aircraft piloted by James, the couples escaped without life-threatening injuries. Elmarie Steenberg and Marle Swart were released from hospital on Thursday.
In a statement, the couples said they have been "completely devastated" by the accident and felt "blessed to have been spared".
They thanked those who rushed to their help, describing it as "mateship in action".
The Steenbergs and Swarts had been posting photos and video highlights of their trip to social media in the days before the crash.
They said they were assisting the Australian Transport Safety Bureau and Queensland police with their inquiries.
Chief pilot Ashley Jenkinson - who had more than 6000 flying hours under his belt - has been remembered for delivering food to flood victims in Northern New South Wales.
The 40-year-old dad - survived by his fiancée Kosha and toddler son - was remembered by the head of Sea World Helicopters as a "first-class pilot, a first-class man, and a wonderful father and partner".
As the initial shock dissipates and the new devastating reality for families begins to set in, planning begins for memorials and funerals.
A human chain will be formed at the Broadwater site on 15 January in a memorial to remember the victims of the tragedy and those who rushed to their aid.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is set to release a preliminary report into the incident in a matter of weeks, with a final report expected within eight months.
- ABC
