He uses the word ‘it’ but actually refers to a different accident posted by Megan.

Sad. Would look like 9/11 but its like 8/11 instead. He must be FUI. I suppose.

Latest news refers to it as "Stolen".

I am not an Australian. But even I know a flight from Melbourne to cairns is quite a feat and many refuels

The instructor was running late in getting to the airport and actually told the owner, Cline Hoggs, not to touch anything until he got there. But since Hoggs had been saving 20 years for his helicopter, he got a bit antsy and decided to fire it up and see how things work. While he never intended to fly, it did, and the rest is history. The only reason there is a video of the incident was Hogg had a friend bring his movie camera to film his 1st flight in his helicopter as this was a few years before cell phones became the rage.

Here's the NTSB Final Report:

"Analysis
A HUGHES 269B WENT OUT OF CONTROL AND COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND DURING A T/O TO A HOVER. THE PILOT HAD PURCHASED THE AIRCRAFT RECENTLY AND WAS LEARNING TO FLY IT. HE WAS SCHEDULED FOR HIS FIRST FLIGHT LESSON ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT. THE CFI REPORTED THAT HE HAD TOLD THE STUDENT PILOT TO WAIT FOR HIM AND NOT TO TOUCH ANYTHING. WHILE WAITING FOR THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR, THE NON ROTORCRAFT RATED STUDENT PILOT STARTED THE AIRCRAFT, RAN IT UP TO FULL RPM, AND THEN BEGAN TO INCREASE THE COLLECTIVE PITCH CONTROL. THE HELICOPTER CLIMBED VERTICALLY TO A HIGH HOVER AND THE PILOT LOST CONTROL. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD NOT RELEASED THE CYCLIC FRICTION BEFORE BECOMING AIRBORNE. THE PILOT INDICATED HE HAD ABOUT500 HOURS OF FLIGHT TIME BUT DID NOT SPECIFY THE TYPE AND NO SUBSTANTIATION OF THE TIME COULD BE MADE."

News in Australia is reporting that the pilot was an ex-employee of the operator.

Actually 8/12 local date of the incident (if using US date terminology). As for reasoning, time and further investigation may reveal.

If you were a (disgruntled) ex-employee hell-bent on payback wouldn't you nick the flash new 407 and create a bit more carnage?
Reports now it was only in the air for 4 minutes, don't know how you can get from the airport to down town and do all those things in only 4 minutes. He must have been humming it so fast I'm surprised it didn't self destruct inflight. News.com.au is still reporting it was a twin engine 44, no wonder he could go so fast.

How much more carnage would it have actually created?

Also, maybe the pilot wasn’t rated on the B407 😉

120 gallons of burning kerosene might cause a bit more carnage than 45 gallons of petrol. I'm not rated on the 407 either but I reckon I could probably get one into the air.

Reasons as to why he did this would be from serios to as mundane as childish. But none of these would justify an out-of-this-world action. GTA perhaps. Grand Theft Aircraft.

Link

Pilot identified.

Darwinian selection in action......

Propellers fell off as usual.

My guess is this will kill any sort of alcohol in the workplace at an airport. News says they were at a going away party for the guy that evening. Sounds like the alcohol got the better of him - sad end to a promising career.

I don't think that the party was at the Airport, Ned:

Pilot that crashed chopper into luxury Cairns hotel had earlier been celebrating promotion

Pilot that crashed chopper into luxury Cairns hotel had earlier been celebrating promotion (msn.com)One whistleblower claimed he had been intoxicated and put to bed.

But sometime later, he left his room, headed to the airport and got behind the controls of the helicopter, 'gaining unauthorised access', before crashing just four minutes into the flight.

So the "promotion" for the qualified pilot was from loading passengers at one base to refueling helicopters at another, right?

Welcome to GA Australia. If he’d stuck it out refueling on Horn Island for 3 years he’d have been next in line for the tourist flight gig.

It was reported that he had an NZ PPL only - quite normal for PPL to do dogsbody work in order to fund progression.