One man is dead and another recovering in hospital after a helicopter crashed into trees in a remote area in far north Queensland.
The single-engine aircraft crashed about 1.30pm on Friday, starting an intense fire, about 50km west of Port Douglas in the Mt Windsor National park.
The wreckage was found 90 minutes later, and the swift rescue was attributed to what has been described as a “cutting edge” distress beacon in the aircraft.
The 43-year old pilot was taken to Cairns Hospital in a stable condition, with a moderate head injury and a head laceration.
An Australian Search and Rescue representative said the pilot was fortunate to have had a distress beacon hooked up to the MEOSAR satellite system, which helped search teams find him quickly.
The pilot told authorities there was a passenger in the aircraft, but that his health deteriorated before he could confirm whether or not the passenger was still in the helicopter when it crashed.
Weather prevented a rescue helicopter from reaching the crash site on Friday night, but a search for the 25-year-old passenger was launched on Saturday morning.
The body of the passenger was found at the crash site and the search called off.
– Australian Associated Press contributed to this report
