Australia: 'Unauthorized' helicopter crashes into hotel

A helicopter on an "unauthorized" flight crashed into the roof of a Hilton hotel in the northeastern Australian city of Cairns, starting a fire and forcing hundreds of patrons out of the building as a precaution, authorities said.

The crash took place at around 1:50 a.m. local time on Monday.

Pilot declared dead at scene, debris fell to ground

"The pilot and single occupant of the aircraft was located and declared deceased at the scene, and forensic investigations are underway to formally identify him," Cairns police said in a statement. 

Police also said that there were no injuries on the ground. 

Authorities said the helicopter had been taken from its hangar for an "unauthorized flight," but did not provide further details.

Acting Chief Superintendent Shane Holmes told said it was not known if the man flying the helicopter held a pilot's license or if he worked for the company that owned the craft, Nautilus Aviation.

"There is no further threat to the community, and we believe this is an isolated incident," Holmes told reporters.

Pieces of the helicopter's rotor blades landed in the Double Tree Hotel pool, an emergency services official said.

A fire could be seen burning on top of the building following the incident but appeared to be extinguished by daybreak.

Hotel guests said they had been woken by a large bang and soon heard alarms sounding and calls to vacate the building, with emergency services quickly on the scene. 

ABC cited an aviation expert as saying the area around the hotel was a no-fly zone for most low-flying aircraft and for a crash to happen at that hour in such an area was "very unusual." 

A team of government investigators from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau were also dispatched to the scene.

Cairns is a popular tourist city on the northeastern coast and a gateway to Australia's Great Barrier Reef. 

msh/jsi (AFP, Reuters)