SYDNEY - A helicopter crashed into the roof of a Hilton hotel in north-eastern Australia on Aug 12, killing the pilot and igniting a fiery explosion on the building’s roof.

       Hundreds of people were evacuated from the DoubleTree by Hilton in the tropical tourist hub of Cairns after the twin-engine helicopter crashed around 1.50am local time.

       Mangled pieces of the helicopter’s propeller landed in the hotel’s pool, an emergency services official said.

       Witness Amanda Kay said her assistance dog woke her up before the crash, which she watched from her balcony nearby.

       “There was a light chopper and it was flying super low, with no clearance lights on,” she told AFP.

       “It was flying so erratically. There was this huge explosion because it had crashed into the building. It was a big bang.”

       Police said the helicopter had been taken from its hangar at Cairns airport for an “unauthorised flight”, but did not elaborate. The pilot, who has yet to be identified and was flying alone, was declared dead at the scene.

       By signing up, I accept SPH Media's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy as amended from time to time.

       Police said the flight was an isolated incident and there was no threat to public safety. They added that the pilot’s intent was unknown, as was the manner in which the aircraft was taken.

       Two people who were staying in a room close to where the aircraft crashed were hospitalised for smoke inhalation.

       Images showed a bright plume of fire blazing on the hotel’s roof.

       “They just flew into that building,” a female voice says in a video shared on social media that captured the aftermath, as sirens blare in the background. “Madness, man. Shivers. People were living in that. It smashed right in.”

       Queensland Ambulance supervisor Caitlin Denning said the aircraft’s propellers had “dislodged”.

       “One landed on the Cairns Esplanade, and there was a second propeller located in the hotel pool on the bottom floor, and it was on fire,” she told local media.

       “There were reports of it sounding like a bomb, and seeing the fire and smoke, a lot of the occupants of the hotel were unsure of the situation.” The roof fire was extinguished later in the morning.

       Cairns is a popular tourist hub that offers a gateway to Australia’s famed Great Barrier Reef.

       Australian Transport Safety Bureau commissioner Angus Mitchell said flying conditions were tricky at the time of the crash, with poor visibility and possibly rain.

       “Our job now is to look at the facts that we can gather over the next couple of days, and to establish the sequence of events,” he told reporters.

       A team of government investigators from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau has been dispatched to the crash site. AFP, REUTERS