Helicopter pilot ‘did not hear radio call’ before Gold Coast crash that killed British couple

Diane and Ron Hughes, from Neston, Cheshire, died in the collision at Main Beach

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has released a preliminary report in relation to a mid-air crash between two sightseeing helicopters on the Gold Coast (AP)

A helicopter pilot did not hear a radio call from another chopper before a mid-air crash that killed a British couple and two others, an investigation has found.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau’s (ATSB) preliminary report into the crash between two sightseeing helicopters on the Gold Coast in January said the pilots may not have been able to see each other, but detailed how passengers desperately tried to raise the alarm.

Diane, 57, and Ron Hughes, 65, from Neston, Cheshire, died in the collision at around 2pm local time - 4am GMT - on Monday January 2 in Main Beach, not far from Sea World in the state of Queensland.