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Experienced pilot Michael James has been praised for his quick thinking and cool reaction after his Sea World helicopter was struck in the cockpit.
Mr James, 52, is believed to have only worked as a Sea World helicopter pilot on the Gold Coast for a year, although he is said to be highly skilled with many prior years of flying.
However, on Monday afternoon his skills were put to the test when he collided with British coworker Ash Jenkinson, 40, mid-flight and was showered in shattered glass.
He has since undergone surgery at Gold Coast University Hospital and is yet to give his version of events to police and aviation investigators.
It is understood Mr Jenkinson’s helicopter had spent all of 20 seconds in the air after take-off before crashing into the bottom of Mr James’.
Experienced helicopter pilot Michael James (right) has been praised for remaining calm during the horror Sea World crash that killed four on Monday
Mr James managed to keep his Sea World helicopter (right) upright during a crash on Monday after colliding with coworker Ash Jenkinson
Mr James’ five passengers all survived the tragic crash with one left completely unharmed (pictured, Mr James’ helicopter following the crash)
Despite the horror crash which killed four, Mr James managed to land his aircraft upright on a sandbar between Sea World and Gold Coast’s popular Broadwater beach.
Living north of Brisbane, the pilot spent four days a week staying on the Gold coast to work for Sea World and was recently featured in a Facebook post on Sea World Helicopters after taking a 35-year-old terminally ill man for a chopper ride.
Veteran joy-flight tour boss, Gold Coast Heli-Tours director Scott Menzies marvelled at how Mr James handled himself as Monday’s tragedy unfolded.
Mr Menzies, who was in the air nearby at the time of the crash, said it was remarkable the pilot was able to land his craft safely in the moments after the collision, saving his life and those of his five passengers.
One of his passengers was completely unharmed in the horror crash.
British-born pilot Ash Jenkinson (pictured with his family) was killed alongside three of his passengers on Monday
British couple Ron and Diane Hughes (left) and Australian mother Vanessa Tadros were killed in the horror helicopter collision on Monday
Both planes were downed in the water between Sea World and popular Gold Coast beach, Broadwater (pictured, tributes left near the scene of the crash)
Fellow pilot and witness Scott Menzies said Mr James (above) saved the lives of his five passengers during the frightening crash on Monday
His survivors included a Western Australia woman, 27, and two New Zealand couples travelling together – a 44-year-old man and 43-year-old woman, and a 48-year-old man and 45-year-old woman.
‘I think (James) did a great job to keep himself under control knowing that he probably would have had a lot of shrapnel wounds and bits and pieces and a lot of failures to deal with,’ Mr Menzies told Daily Mail Australia.
‘So I think he did a bloody fantastic job under the circumstances to try and get the thing back on the ground.
‘I mean, really, you know, we are looking at a double …you know, we’re looking at 13 people dead on that one.
‘I mean, really and truly, there’s not too many mid-air collisions where one aircraft can actually land. If you think about it. It’s nearly impossible that it happened… especially helicopters.
‘He did a good job just to keep it all together and calm down. A very good job under the circumstances.’
How the crash unfolded: A step-by-step run through of how the crash that killed four is understood to have happened
Queensland Police said it is investigating the circumstances surrounding Monday’s helicopter crash
Pilot and witness Scott Menzies said it was a wonder Mr James was able to keep his helicopter upright during the crash, saving the lives of his passengers (pictured, the wreckage of one of the helicopters)
Queensland Police are investigating the crash with detectives spotted collecting evidence from the scene on Monday (above)
Crash investigators are still in the early stages of determining what caused the two helicopters to collide mid-air just after 2pm on Monday.
British couple Ron and Diane Hughes, aged 65 and 57 respectively, Australian mother Vanessa Tadros, aged 36, and pilot Ash Jenkinson, 40, all lost their lives in the tragedy.
It is understood Mrs Tadros was related to Mr and Mrs Hughes and boarded the flight with her 10-year-old son, Nicholas.
Nicholas survived the crash but was left in a critical condition.
He has undergone several surgeries since and is believed to not know his mother tragically died.
Witnessing the crash, Menzies described what he saw as a ‘terrible accident’ and one which appeared to be a case of both pilots misjudging exactly where the other was at the time.
Sea World offered its condolences to the loved ones of the crash victims but said it cannot comment further due to an active police investigation (pictured, a Queensland Police diver collecting evidence from the scene of the crash)
Four people were killed in a horror helicopter crash on Monday after two Sea World aircraft collided on the Gold Coast (pictured, the wreckage of the crash)
Mr James actions were praised for saving the lives of his five passengers (pictured, the wreckage of the helicopter Mr James was flying)
‘It’s a hard one because it was done in clear sky and, you know, everyone could see the two helicopters closing in on each other,’ said Menzies.
‘I mean, it’s pretty hard not to not to see the other helicopter or one of those helicopters should have been able to see the other one.
‘It was just amazing that they both didn’t see each other till too late.’
It’s understood James remains at Gold Coast University Hospital in a stable condition.
Victorian mother Winnie De Silva, 33, and her nine-year-old son, Leon, were also hospitalised following the crash, some 1,700km from their Geelong home.
Mrs De Silva was rushed to Gold Coast University Hospital in a critical but stable condition while Leon was flown to the Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane where he remains in a critical condition.
Mr James, along with passengers Winnie De Silva and her nine-year-old son Leon, were hospitalised following the crash (pictured, the crash scene)
Victorian mother Winnie De Silva, 33, and her nine-year-old son Leon (both left) were also hospitalised following the crash (right, Mrs De Silva in Gold Coast University Hospital)
Mrs De Silva’s husband Neil said his partner was holidaying on the Gold Coast and has launched a GoFundMe.
‘Thankfully they are both alive but have a lot of surgery ahead of them which means the family will need to stay here on the Gold Coast and I won’t be able to return to work,’ he wrote.
‘I’m hoping you can help us out with a small donation to keep us on our feet while Winnie and Leon recover.’
Following the crash on Monday, Sea World said in a statement: ‘Village Roadshow Theme Parks offers its deepest condolences to all those impacted by today’s helicopter tragedy in the Southport Broadwater.
‘While Sea World Helicopters is an independent professional operator, VRTP is working with emergency services and the authorities to provide every possible assistance.
‘We are providing support to our team members who have been emotionally affected by the tragedy.
‘As it is now a police investigation, we cannot provide any further information at this stage.’
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