Originally Posted by
gulliBell
I find it very difficult to believe the accident pilot didn't have a CASA licence. It seems he obtained his NZ CPL-H in September 2022 and hadn't worked as a pilot in NZ since then. Nautilus advertises for ground crew in March 2024 which on the face of it might be a stepping stone to greater things in the industry. They don't pay much, only $50K - better than welfare - but it might be priceless for making contacts and getting known and learning stuff. Worth the effort of migrating to Australia. The elusive first job is sometimes a case of being in the right place at the right time, but you do need a licence and all your paperwork in order. Getting the CASA licence takes virtually no effort at all, just fill in the Form 760 Application and post it off. 30 days later you get your Australian CPL-H. I would have thought any pilot embarking on this adventure would have done that on day one in-country.
It does make little sense that he appears not to have applied for an Aust licence.
If he was celebrating a ground job promotion, why would you steal an aircraft and guarantee that the ground promotion or pilot job would never eventuate?
If it's true that there was over six hours delay between being last seen by his friends and the chopper taking off, then he had lots of time to sober up a bit and think about consequences. He was sober enough to get to the airfield and then steal and fly the chopper in difficult conditions.
If he had discovered some recent medical or legal problem that would permanently preclude an Australian licence, then this could be a possible motive.
He seemed stable and highly thought of, so a serious medical issue is perhaps more probable from the limited circumstantial evidence.