Silence on the Airwaves Ahead of Fatal Chopper Crash

Two cashed helicopters sit on the sand at a collision scene near Seaworld, on the Gold Coast, Australia, on Jan. 2, 2023. Dave Hunt/AAP Image via AP

Twenty-three seconds of silence may have contributed to a mid-air helicopter collision that killed four people and injured nine others near Sea World on the Gold Coast.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has found no recordings of radio calls between pilots Ashley Jenkinson and Michael James in the moments before their choppers collided about 40 metres off the ground and crashed on Jan. 2.