Sea World Helicopter Pilot ‘Had a Breakdown’ Before Mid-Air Crash That Killed 4, Fiancée Testifies

Almost three years after two Sea World helicopters collided over Australia’s Gold Coast, the fiancée of one of the pilots has testified that he suffered a breakdown in the weeks before the crash — and that he used cocaine the day before the incident that killed him and three others.

On Tuesday, Dec. 2, Kosha Richardson-Johnson appeared before the Coroners Court of Queensland in Brisbane to describe fiancé Ashley Jenkinson’s state of mind leading up to the collision. Jenkinson’s helicopter struck another aircraft near the Sea World theme park on Jan. 2, 2023, according to reports from The Guardian, ABC Australia and The Sydney Morning Herald.

Jenkinson, 40, died in the crash along with passenger Vanessa Tadros, a 36-year-old from Sydney, and Ron and Diane Hughes, a couple from the U.K. aged 65 and 67, The Guardian previously reported.

Richardson-Johnson told the court that shortly before Christmas 2022, she found Jenkinson crying alone in a closet and asked him what was wrong.

“That’s when he had a breakdown,” she testified, according to The Guardian. “He said, ‘You don’t know what kind of pressure I’m under.’

Jenkinson, who was Sea World’s chief pilot, explained that he had been working long hours, juggling paperwork and preparing new helicopters for the busy holiday period.

Richardson-Johnson also testified that she saw Jenkinson use cocaine at a New Year’s Eve party in 2022, saying his final line was taken at around 3 a.m. She added that he used cocaine at social gatherings roughly six to eight times a year, but said she did not believe he was addicted.

Although an autopsy found cocaine in Jenkinson’s system, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau concluded it was “unlikely to have been directly affected by the drug at the time of the accident,” according to The Guardian.

Other witnesses at the hearing described seeing Jenkinson use what appeared to be cocaine at the same holiday party. One of them, digital marketing company director Ross Meadows — who identified himself as Jenkinson’s best friend — recalled seeing the pilot inhale a white substance around 9 p.m., the outlet reported.

“I assumed it was cocaine,” Meadows said, adding that he warned Jenkinson, “Nothing good comes from that s—.”

Meadows described Jenkinson as a “phenomenal pilot” who was serious about his job, and said he never felt compelled to report him for drug use, according to The Guardian.

“He was his own person,” Meadows said. “I’m not responsible.”

The Coroners Court of Queensland and Sea World Helicopters did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Additional hearings into the crash are scheduled through Monday, Dec. 8.