On Sunday, Blake Wilson, 23, died when he crashed into a hotel roof in Cairns after he "misappropriated" a helicopter after a farewell party at Nautilus Aviation.
Nautilus Aviation said the man who flew the chopper had been an employee for four months in a ground-crew position.
According to Mr Wilson’s Facebook page he was from Palmerston North and trained to be a pilot at Christchurch Helicopters after working in Queenstown.
A former colleague, who did not want to be identified, says the circumstances surrounding the incident don't make sense.
She worked with Mr Wilson at Coronet Peak in Queenstown - she was a ski instructor and he worked the lifts.
"He was a happy guy you know. He did silly dances, let my students throw a bunch of snowballs at him, gave a million high fives. He just wanted to bring the vibe up and get everyone stoked on the mountain. He was always up for a good yarn or adventure," she said.
It had been years since they caught up, and hearing of his death was "devastating", she said.
"So young and heartbreaking because he did everything right. He got out, lived his dream of becoming a pilot and he made a great life for himself.
He was not reckless - rather, a "goody good", she said.
"Head-screwed-on kind of guy.
"It's not adding up."
NZSki chief executive Paul Anderson said Mr Wilson worked at Coronet Peak in the lifts department and at Ultimate Hikes as a guide for the 2019-20 seasons.
"He was a well-liked and outgoing member of our teams and we are deeply saddened to hear of his tragic passing.
"Our thoughts and condolences go out to the Wilson family at this difficult time."
A friend of Mr Wilson’s, whom RNZ has agreed not to name, said he worked with Mr Wilson in Queenstown.
"He was a really lovely guy, one of the best out there."
Palmerston North Boys’ High School rector David Bovey told RNZ Mr Wilson was a former student, who finished studying there in 2018.
"He was just a just a good all-round fella," Mr Bovey said.
The news was tragic for everyone who knew Mr Wilson, he said.
"It’ll hit the staff because ... I mean, it’s not that long ago that Blake was here. They’ll know Blake, and they’ll be feeling it," he said.
Charter company Nautilus Aviation said Mr Wilson had a New Zealand pilot’s licence but had never flown in Australia and was not authorised to use its helicopters.
The company said Mr Blake had been given a farewell party by fellow Nautilus employees on Sunday night.
"We can confirm this event did occur and was a privately organised send-off for the individual involved in Monday morning’s incident, who was recently promoted to a ground-crew position at another one of our bases," the statement said.
"This was not a work event and was co-ordinated by friends."
The helicopter left on an "unauthorised" flight from Nautilus Aviation’s hangar at Cairns airport early on Monday morning, crashing into a hotel roof about 2am.
Mr Wilson — the sole occupant — died after the helicopter struck the roof of DoubleTree by Hilton in Cairns’ central business district, prompting the evacuation of hundreds of guests.
Two guests — a man in his 80s and a woman in her 70s — were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation and have been released.
Nautilus representatives completed interviews with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau and police, co-operating with "full transparency" about the events.
The helicopter was seen flying for at least five minutes in the Cairns central business district before it crashed into the hotel roof, smashing the windows of nearby rooms, one of which was occupied by a sleeping elderly couple. — RNZ/ODT
