Latest news with #MRH-90Taipan
The Advertiser
13-06-2025
- General
- The Advertiser
'We started a fire': ADF criticised over major blaze
The Australian Defence Force knew about fire risks posed by its aircraft years before an army helicopter sparked a catastrophic blaze that razed most of a national park during Black Summer, a coroner has found. The fire was ignited by the searchlight on an ADF MRH-90 Taipan helicopter, known as ANGEL21, when the crew landed for a toilet break while on a reconnaissance mission outside Canberra on January 27, 2020. The fire quickly spread from the Orroral Valley and went on to burn more than 82,000 hectares of the Namadgi National Park, causing significant damage to the environment and Indigenous sites. The ADF knew about the risk of the lights, which can reach temperatures as high as 500C after 10 minutes of use, after a Black Hawk helicopter ignited a grass fire in 2013, ACT Chief Coroner Lorraine Walker said in inquiry findings handed down on Friday. But while a warning about the lights was added to the Black Hawk flight manuals, it was not included in the MRH-90 document. "The situation is unlikely to have arisen had the aircrew been made aware through the MRH-90 flight manual of the risk of fire associated with landing lights," Ms Walker said in the ACT Coroners Court. "This failure reflects a systemic failure to apply the lesson learned in one context ... to the broader yet patently alike context of another aircraft utilising similar technology." The crew, who had been tasked to identify safe helicopter landing points as bushfires raged across southern NSW, were within their rights to stop for a break, the coroner found. But they made an error of judgment by failing to report the fire to their superiors and other authorities. The inquiry heard the crew noticed the fire soon after landing at 1.38pm, with a flight recording capturing one crew member saying: "We started the fire. We started a fire." As the flames moved towards the fuselage and the crew prepared to take off, another crew member was recorded saying: "Yep f***ing searchlight. Dammit." The crew made an emergency call at 1.45pm to report fire damage to the helicopter, but did not alert anyone to the blaze. When asked why he didn't immediately raise the alarm about the bushfire, the pilot said he was concerned the helicopter could "fall from the sky at any moment". Ms Walker said the situation was clearly frightening for the crew, but they should have reported the fire at a time of heightened risk. "It must have been obvious to any thinking person that a delay in reporting the fire could potentially impact the capacity of the relevant organisations to respond to it," she said. During the inquiry, the federal government did not dispute the searchlight had ignited the fire. Ms Walker made several recommendations, including that the findings from incident reports be shared across the ADF and included in any risk and training materials. The Australian Defence Force knew about fire risks posed by its aircraft years before an army helicopter sparked a catastrophic blaze that razed most of a national park during Black Summer, a coroner has found. The fire was ignited by the searchlight on an ADF MRH-90 Taipan helicopter, known as ANGEL21, when the crew landed for a toilet break while on a reconnaissance mission outside Canberra on January 27, 2020. The fire quickly spread from the Orroral Valley and went on to burn more than 82,000 hectares of the Namadgi National Park, causing significant damage to the environment and Indigenous sites. The ADF knew about the risk of the lights, which can reach temperatures as high as 500C after 10 minutes of use, after a Black Hawk helicopter ignited a grass fire in 2013, ACT Chief Coroner Lorraine Walker said in inquiry findings handed down on Friday. But while a warning about the lights was added to the Black Hawk flight manuals, it was not included in the MRH-90 document. "The situation is unlikely to have arisen had the aircrew been made aware through the MRH-90 flight manual of the risk of fire associated with landing lights," Ms Walker said in the ACT Coroners Court. "This failure reflects a systemic failure to apply the lesson learned in one context ... to the broader yet patently alike context of another aircraft utilising similar technology." The crew, who had been tasked to identify safe helicopter landing points as bushfires raged across southern NSW, were within their rights to stop for a break, the coroner found. But they made an error of judgment by failing to report the fire to their superiors and other authorities. The inquiry heard the crew noticed the fire soon after landing at 1.38pm, with a flight recording capturing one crew member saying: "We started the fire. We started a fire." As the flames moved towards the fuselage and the crew prepared to take off, another crew member was recorded saying: "Yep f***ing searchlight. Dammit." The crew made an emergency call at 1.45pm to report fire damage to the helicopter, but did not alert anyone to the blaze. When asked why he didn't immediately raise the alarm about the bushfire, the pilot said he was concerned the helicopter could "fall from the sky at any moment". Ms Walker said the situation was clearly frightening for the crew, but they should have reported the fire at a time of heightened risk. "It must have been obvious to any thinking person that a delay in reporting the fire could potentially impact the capacity of the relevant organisations to respond to it," she said. During the inquiry, the federal government did not dispute the searchlight had ignited the fire. Ms Walker made several recommendations, including that the findings from incident reports be shared across the ADF and included in any risk and training materials. The Australian Defence Force knew about fire risks posed by its aircraft years before an army helicopter sparked a catastrophic blaze that razed most of a national park during Black Summer, a coroner has found. The fire was ignited by the searchlight on an ADF MRH-90 Taipan helicopter, known as ANGEL21, when the crew landed for a toilet break while on a reconnaissance mission outside Canberra on January 27, 2020. The fire quickly spread from the Orroral Valley and went on to burn more than 82,000 hectares of the Namadgi National Park, causing significant damage to the environment and Indigenous sites. The ADF knew about the risk of the lights, which can reach temperatures as high as 500C after 10 minutes of use, after a Black Hawk helicopter ignited a grass fire in 2013, ACT Chief Coroner Lorraine Walker said in inquiry findings handed down on Friday. But while a warning about the lights was added to the Black Hawk flight manuals, it was not included in the MRH-90 document. "The situation is unlikely to have arisen had the aircrew been made aware through the MRH-90 flight manual of the risk of fire associated with landing lights," Ms Walker said in the ACT Coroners Court. "This failure reflects a systemic failure to apply the lesson learned in one context ... to the broader yet patently alike context of another aircraft utilising similar technology." The crew, who had been tasked to identify safe helicopter landing points as bushfires raged across southern NSW, were within their rights to stop for a break, the coroner found. But they made an error of judgment by failing to report the fire to their superiors and other authorities. The inquiry heard the crew noticed the fire soon after landing at 1.38pm, with a flight recording capturing one crew member saying: "We started the fire. We started a fire." As the flames moved towards the fuselage and the crew prepared to take off, another crew member was recorded saying: "Yep f***ing searchlight. Dammit." The crew made an emergency call at 1.45pm to report fire damage to the helicopter, but did not alert anyone to the blaze. When asked why he didn't immediately raise the alarm about the bushfire, the pilot said he was concerned the helicopter could "fall from the sky at any moment". Ms Walker said the situation was clearly frightening for the crew, but they should have reported the fire at a time of heightened risk. "It must have been obvious to any thinking person that a delay in reporting the fire could potentially impact the capacity of the relevant organisations to respond to it," she said. During the inquiry, the federal government did not dispute the searchlight had ignited the fire. Ms Walker made several recommendations, including that the findings from incident reports be shared across the ADF and included in any risk and training materials. The Australian Defence Force knew about fire risks posed by its aircraft years before an army helicopter sparked a catastrophic blaze that razed most of a national park during Black Summer, a coroner has found. The fire was ignited by the searchlight on an ADF MRH-90 Taipan helicopter, known as ANGEL21, when the crew landed for a toilet break while on a reconnaissance mission outside Canberra on January 27, 2020. The fire quickly spread from the Orroral Valley and went on to burn more than 82,000 hectares of the Namadgi National Park, causing significant damage to the environment and Indigenous sites. The ADF knew about the risk of the lights, which can reach temperatures as high as 500C after 10 minutes of use, after a Black Hawk helicopter ignited a grass fire in 2013, ACT Chief Coroner Lorraine Walker said in inquiry findings handed down on Friday. But while a warning about the lights was added to the Black Hawk flight manuals, it was not included in the MRH-90 document. "The situation is unlikely to have arisen had the aircrew been made aware through the MRH-90 flight manual of the risk of fire associated with landing lights," Ms Walker said in the ACT Coroners Court. "This failure reflects a systemic failure to apply the lesson learned in one context ... to the broader yet patently alike context of another aircraft utilising similar technology." The crew, who had been tasked to identify safe helicopter landing points as bushfires raged across southern NSW, were within their rights to stop for a break, the coroner found. But they made an error of judgment by failing to report the fire to their superiors and other authorities. The inquiry heard the crew noticed the fire soon after landing at 1.38pm, with a flight recording capturing one crew member saying: "We started the fire. We started a fire." As the flames moved towards the fuselage and the crew prepared to take off, another crew member was recorded saying: "Yep f***ing searchlight. Dammit." The crew made an emergency call at 1.45pm to report fire damage to the helicopter, but did not alert anyone to the blaze. When asked why he didn't immediately raise the alarm about the bushfire, the pilot said he was concerned the helicopter could "fall from the sky at any moment". Ms Walker said the situation was clearly frightening for the crew, but they should have reported the fire at a time of heightened risk. "It must have been obvious to any thinking person that a delay in reporting the fire could potentially impact the capacity of the relevant organisations to respond to it," she said. During the inquiry, the federal government did not dispute the searchlight had ignited the fire. Ms Walker made several recommendations, including that the findings from incident reports be shared across the ADF and included in any risk and training materials.
Perth Now
13-06-2025
- General
- Perth Now
'We started a fire': ADF criticised over major blaze
The Australian Defence Force knew about fire risks posed by its aircraft years before an army helicopter sparked a catastrophic blaze that razed most of a national park during Black Summer, a coroner has found. The fire was ignited by the searchlight on an ADF MRH-90 Taipan helicopter, known as ANGEL21, when the crew landed for a toilet break while on a reconnaissance mission outside Canberra on January 27, 2020. The fire quickly spread from the Orroral Valley and went on to burn more than 82,000 hectares of the Namadgi National Park, causing significant damage to the environment and Indigenous sites. The ADF knew about the risk of the lights, which can reach temperatures as high as 500C after 10 minutes of use, after a Black Hawk helicopter ignited a grass fire in 2013, ACT Chief Coroner Lorraine Walker said in inquiry findings handed down on Friday. But while a warning about the lights was added to the Black Hawk flight manuals, it was not included in the MRH-90 document. "The situation is unlikely to have arisen had the aircrew been made aware through the MRH-90 flight manual of the risk of fire associated with landing lights," Ms Walker said in the ACT Coroners Court. "This failure reflects a systemic failure to apply the lesson learned in one context ... to the broader yet patently alike context of another aircraft utilising similar technology." The crew, who had been tasked to identify safe helicopter landing points as bushfires raged across southern NSW, were within their rights to stop for a break, the coroner found. But they made an error of judgment by failing to report the fire to their superiors and other authorities. The inquiry heard the crew noticed the fire soon after landing at 1.38pm, with a flight recording capturing one crew member saying: "We started the fire. We started a fire." As the flames moved towards the fuselage and the crew prepared to take off, another crew member was recorded saying: "Yep f***ing searchlight. Dammit." The crew made an emergency call at 1.45pm to report fire damage to the helicopter, but did not alert anyone to the blaze. When asked why he didn't immediately raise the alarm about the bushfire, the pilot said he was concerned the helicopter could "fall from the sky at any moment". Ms Walker said the situation was clearly frightening for the crew, but they should have reported the fire at a time of heightened risk. "It must have been obvious to any thinking person that a delay in reporting the fire could potentially impact the capacity of the relevant organisations to respond to it," she said. During the inquiry, the federal government did not dispute the searchlight had ignited the fire. Ms Walker made several recommendations, including that the findings from incident reports be shared across the ADF and included in any risk and training materials.
West Australian
22-05-2025
- West Australian
Brave to the end: army helicopter crash victims hailed
Four crew killed in an army helicopter crash were "brave and selfless to the end", the defence minister says, confirming the government accepts all 46 recommendations of a safety report. The Aviation Safety Investigation Report into the MRH-90 Taipan helicopter crash off the Whitsunday Islands in Queensland on July 28, 2023 was released on Wednesday. Captain Danniel Lyon, Lieutenant Maxwell Nugent, Warrant Officer Class Two Joseph Laycock and Corporal Alexander Naggs were killed when their helicopter crashed into the sea during Exercise Talisman Sabre. Defence Minister Richard Marles thanked the Defence Flight Safety Bureau for their "tireless" work on the report and said every recommendation would be accepted by the government. The investigation, one of four into the crash, was an important step in understanding what occurred and learning from it, the minister told reporters in Brisbane on Thursday. "I would observe that the four crew who tragically lost their lives I'm absolutely certain were brave and selfless to the end," he said. "Our thoughts are very much with their families, and we continue to work with them." Mr Marles said the defence force was deeply focused on safety, but what defence did was inherently dangerous and it was important to "train for real". The Talisman Sabre exercise alongside US and other nations' forces was Australia's most significant annual exercise for such training, he said. The crash report found the primary cause of the tragedy was "spatial disorientation", which happens when a pilot misperceives the position of their aircraft in relation to the surrounding environment. It concluded the pilots were likely experiencing a level of fatigue shown to "impede optimal performance" and increase susceptibility to spatial disorientation. "The estimated level of fatigue ... was considered sufficient to affect their actions and decisions in the event," the report said. It said the pilot likely didn't know the chopper was facing nose down and combined with a lack of recognition of the aircraft's increasing airspeed "resulted in a very high and unrecoverable rate of descent towards the water". The helicopter was conducting manoeuvres during rain showers and flying with its cabin doors closed, factors that restricted visibility. Defence All-hours Support Line (ASL) - 1800 628 036 Defence Member and Family Support - 1800 624 608 Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling - 1800 011 046 Lifeline - 13 11 14
West Australian
22-05-2025
- General
- West Australian
Army chopper crashed after evasive action, report finds
DEFENCE AVIATION SAFETY REPORT KEY FINDINGS OF FATAL ARMY HELICOPTER CRASH OFF QUEENSLAND'S WHITSUNDAY ISLANDS * On the night of July 28, 2023 an MRH-90 Taipan of the 6th Aviation Regiment plunged into the sea while flying in formation with three other choppers on a mission during Exercise Talisman Sabre 23 * Captain Danniel Lyon, Lieutenant Maxwell Nugent, Warrant Officer Class Two Joseph Laycock and Corporal Alexander Naggs died in the crash * In response, the Director of the Defence Flight Safety Bureau formed an investigative team to determine the cause of the crash, identify factors that contributed to it and recommend safety improvements to prevent a recurrence * The investigation concluded the primary cause of the accident was an unrecognised loss of spatial orientation, commonly referred to as spatial disorientation, meaning the pilots misperceived the aircraft's position in the air * Due to low altitude and the high rate of descent of the aircraft the investigation concluded the pilots did not have time to regain an accurate picture of the helicopter's orientation and take recovery action before impact * Varying visibility in overcast and showery conditions, where the horizon was more than likely not discernible, contributed to the pilots' spatial disorientation while they were maintaining formation using night vision devices * Cabin doors were closed to minimise crew exposure to rain and low temperatures but this restricted visibility and the ability of crew to alert the pilot to where the aircraft was in relation to the sea * The investigation found the pilots were likely experiencing a level of fatigue shown to impede optimal performance and increase susceptibility to spatial disorientation * Policy relating to rostering practices was also found to be sub-optimal, contributing to an environment where fatigue-related risks were not mitigated effectively * The investigation found the aircraft's engine and flight control systems were operating normally and there were no structural failures of the helicopter prior to impact * It was also found that demands on key personnel responsible for aviation safety often exceeded workforce capacity, which likely degraded the effectiveness of Army Aviation's safety, quality and risk management systems * The report does not seek to apportion blame or determine liability and does not recommend disciplinary or administrative action against organisations or individuals * It identified 196 findings, resulting in 46 recommendations which have all been accepted by the Defence Aviation Authority Defence All-hours Support Line (ASL) - 1800 628 036 Defence Member and Family Support - 1800 624 608 Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling - 1800 011 046 Lifeline - 13 11 14
Perth Now
22-05-2025
- General
- Perth Now
Army chopper crashed after evasive action, report finds
DEFENCE AVIATION SAFETY REPORT KEY FINDINGS OF FATAL ARMY HELICOPTER CRASH OFF QUEENSLAND'S WHITSUNDAY ISLANDS * On the night of July 28, 2023 an MRH-90 Taipan of the 6th Aviation Regiment plunged into the sea while flying in formation with three other choppers on a mission during Exercise Talisman Sabre 23 * Captain Danniel Lyon, Lieutenant Maxwell Nugent, Warrant Officer Class Two Joseph Laycock and Corporal Alexander Naggs died in the crash * In response, the Director of the Defence Flight Safety Bureau formed an investigative team to determine the cause of the crash, identify factors that contributed to it and recommend safety improvements to prevent a recurrence * The investigation concluded the primary cause of the accident was an unrecognised loss of spatial orientation, commonly referred to as spatial disorientation, meaning the pilots misperceived the aircraft's position in the air * Due to low altitude and the high rate of descent of the aircraft the investigation concluded the pilots did not have time to regain an accurate picture of the helicopter's orientation and take recovery action before impact * Varying visibility in overcast and showery conditions, where the horizon was more than likely not discernible, contributed to the pilots' spatial disorientation while they were maintaining formation using night vision devices * Cabin doors were closed to minimise crew exposure to rain and low temperatures but this restricted visibility and the ability of crew to alert the pilot to where the aircraft was in relation to the sea * The investigation found the pilots were likely experiencing a level of fatigue shown to impede optimal performance and increase susceptibility to spatial disorientation * Policy relating to rostering practices was also found to be sub-optimal, contributing to an environment where fatigue-related risks were not mitigated effectively * The investigation found the aircraft's engine and flight control systems were operating normally and there were no structural failures of the helicopter prior to impact * It was also found that demands on key personnel responsible for aviation safety often exceeded workforce capacity, which likely degraded the effectiveness of Army Aviation's safety, quality and risk management systems * The report does not seek to apportion blame or determine liability and does not recommend disciplinary or administrative action against organisations or individuals * It identified 196 findings, resulting in 46 recommendations which have all been accepted by the Defence Aviation Authority Defence All-hours Support Line (ASL) - 1800 628 036 Defence Member and Family Support - 1800 624 608 Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling - 1800 011 046 Lifeline - 13 11 14
