Featured Image Credit: Facebook / Ash Jenkinson
The tragic backstory behind one of Australia's worst air disasters has been shared during an inquest, with allegations about the pilot who died during the deadly collision between two helicopters being laid out.
Although there were far fewer casualties than the incident where American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with a Black Hawk helicopter above the Potomac River, that doesn't take away from the horrors of the 2023 Gold Coast mid-air collision.
On January 2, 2023, two Eurocopter EC130s crashed near the Gold Coast's Sea World theme park in Queensland, Australia. Four people lost their lives, and eight were injured, with three of them left in a critical condition.
At the center of the crash was 40-year-old Ashley Jenkinson, who was Sea World's chief pilot, charged with getting new helicopters ready for the holiday season, and had a 'breakdown' shortly before the incident.
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Jenkinson was among those who perished in the crash, with British newlyweds Ronald and Diane Hughes (aged 65 and 67), and Sydney mother Vanessa Tadros (36) also losing their lives.
Speaking to the inquest (via The Guardian), Jenkinson's fiancée, Kosha Richardson-Johnson, claimed the pilot had a breakdown in late 2022 and was known to take cocaine "probably six to eight times" a year. More than this, Richardson-Johnson said that Jenkinson took a bag of cocaine to a New Year's Eve Party and was seen taking the drug at 3 am on January 1. This was just one day before the horror crash.
Making these allegations via videolink, Richardson-Johnson said he took cocaine before piloting joy flights for Sea World around "two or three times a year."
When pressed about the 'breakdown' that occurred before Christmas 2022, Richardson-Johnson said it was highlighted by conversations about him being stressed from work: "I found him in the wardrobe crying. I said, 'What's wrong?'
“That's when he had a breakdown. He said, 'You don't know what kind of pressure I'm under'."
Jenkinson had been working longer than usual hours, and while Richardson-Johnson admits she was concerned for his health, she stopped short of speaking to his boss about taking a day off.
Elsewhere, two people testified that they'd seen Jenkinson take what they assumed was cocaine at the New Year's Eve party.
Among them was digital marketing company director Ross Meadows, who is one of Jenkinson's 'best mates' and said he saw the pilot taking a 'white substance' in the shed at around 9 pm.
Meadows reiterated he didn't report Jenkinson to aviation authorities or discuss the potential use of cocaine because, "He was his own person. I'm not responsible."
No other Sea World Helicopters staff or pilots were in attendance, while Meadows added that his friend was a 'phenomenal pilot' who'd also taught him how to fly helicopters.
Despite claims that he would take cocaine recreationally, Richardson-Johnson said she was never worried that her partner had an addiction.
Also attending the inquest was Vanessa Tadros' son, with Nicholas being aged just 10 when he lost his leg during the accident.
The next hearing is due on December 8, as Sea World Helicopters executives are also expected to speak as the inquest continues.
