Queensland pilot Ashley Jenkinson, 40, a British husband and wife, 65 and 57, and a 36-year-old woman from Glenmore Park in NSW who was related to the couple died when their helicopter fell heavily into a sandbank after hitting another chopper near the Sea World theme park on Monday afternoon.

The NSW woman’s 10-year-old son and a 33-year-old Victorian woman are in a critical condition in hospital, while a nine-year-old boy related to that woman is being treated for serious injuries.

The second helicopter’s windscreen was shattered but the 52-year-old pilot “remarkably” managed to land on the sand bar with five of the six people aboard suffering minor glass shrapnel wounds.

His passengers included a 27-year-old West Australian woman and two New Zealand couples who were travelling together – a 44-year-old man and a 43-year-old woman, and a man and woman aged 48 and 45.

Jenkinson, a Gold Coast father who had instructed numerous novice pilots, has been remembered as a “great mate” and “an absolute legend”.

Andy Taylor recalled the bond forged when the pair assisted victims of flooding in northern NSW in 2022.

“Today we lost one of the biggest legends, Ash Jenkinson, you were a gentleman!!” he said.

Colleague Penny Wilson said Jenkinson had “such golden of heart, cheeky sense of humour and always such a laugh to be around”.

“An amazing pilot. Always so kind, helpful, and supportive. A true gentleman, and always willing to lend a hand,” former colleague Lucy Kuhn said.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is probing the crash, particularly what was happening inside the two cockpits at the point of impact, and it has salvaged both helicopters from the sand bar.

ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said Jenkinson’s aircraft had taken off and was in the air for less than 20 seconds before its main rotor blades hit the cockpit of the second helicopter, which was coming in to land.

“Now, exactly whether that was the very first point of impact – we’re yet to determine,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

“But that in itself has led to the main rotor and the gearbox separating from the main (Mr Jenkinson’s) helicopter, which then had no lift, and has fallen heavily to the ground.”

Mitchell said it was a remarkable achievement for the other pilot to land despite the damage to his aircraft, and his actions had helped avoid a far worse situation.

“When any aircraft accident happens there are enormous forces at play, and particularly helicopter collisions,” he said.

“So the presence of mind to be able to land that helicopter, particularly considering the damage that we know has occurred on that front lefthand side of the helicopter, it does appear have been a remarkable job to have got it down.”

The ATSB expects to publish a preliminary report within eight weeks.

Sea World Helicopters, which operated both aircraft, and Village Roadshow Theme Parks offered condolences to the victims, their families, and guests and staff at Sea World who witnessed the crash.

-AAP

“We are providing support to our team members who have been emotionally affected by the tragedy,” Village Roadshow said in a statement.

-AAP