The helicopter pilot who crashed a stolen aircraft into a waterfront hotel sparking a massive blaze and mass evacuation was awarded ’employee of the month’. 

Blake Wilson, 23, was behind the controls of a R44 Robinson helicopter when it crashed into the roof of DoubleTree by Hilton in Cairns, Far North Queensland, at about 1.50am on Monday.   

The ‘unauthorised’, four-minute flight took off from the Nautilus hangar at Cairns Airport shortly after 1.45am. 

Witnesses reported seeing the aircraft flying at high speeds and dangerously low over the city’s Esplanade, which is a no-fly zone, before smashing into the hotel roof and bursting into flames.  

Mr Wilson was killed while a man, 83, and a woman, 76, were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation and up to 400 staff and guests were evacuated from the building. 

The 23-year-old moved to Cairns from Palmerston North on New Zealand‘s North Island in March and landed a job with the charter company a month later. 

Although a a fully qualified commercial pilot in New Zealand, Mr Wilson was not permitted to fly helicopters in Australia and was employed as part of Nautilus’ ground crew. 

CEO of Nautilus Aviation Aaron Finn said he was ‘dumbfounded’ as Mr Wilson had been awarded employee of the month. 

Blake Wilson, 23, was behind the controls of a stolen R44 Robinson helicopter when it crashed into the roof of a waterfront hotel

Mr Wilson’s ‘unauthorised’, four-minute flight ended when he crashed into the roof of DoubleTree by Hilton in Cairns sparking a massive blaze and mass evacuation

Mr Finn added the young worker had also earned himself a promotion and was set to start his new role as a refueller on Horn Island, above Australia’s Top End, on Monday.

‘He just won employee of the month on Friday, we can’t fault him as a person or an employee,’ Mr Finn told The Courier Mail. 

‘So we’re all at a loss as to why this has happened, dumbfounded. I can’t sort of say too much more than that, apart from he was a model employee.’

Colleagues at the company held a farewell dinner and drinks for Mr Wilson on Sunday night, just hours before he embarked on the fatal flight.

Mr Finn explained the company ‘put some sausages out’ as part of a function on Thursday night for the employee of the month award.  

He reiterated any celebrations on Sunday night were privately organised by staff members and were held at venues around the city and not at the company’s hangar as such gatherings were ever held or permitted at the grounds.

Mr Finn confirmed his employees had gone home by 8.30pm and that it was Mr Wilson’s ‘prerogative’ to stay out as he was not rostered to work on Monday.

‘It wasn’t a booze up, it wasn’t a huge night… if he wanted to stay out, that’s his prerogative… so for everyone to beat it up and say it was a big, boozy night, it’s incorrect,’ Mr Finn said.

More to come…