Special forces on board ADF chopper crashed off Jervis Bay

The ADF grounds its Taipan fleet after a trouble prone MRH-90 lost power during a counter-terrorism exercise; soldiers say they want US Blackhawks to replace the ageing helicopters.

The MRH-90 Taipan helicopter is seen in shallow water on the beach after crashing off Jervis Bay. Picture: TNV

The Defence personnel aboard the army helicopter that crashed off Jervis Bay in NSW included commandos and navy clearance divers from the elite counter-terrorism unit, TAG East.

All ten who were on the aircraft escaped serious injury thanks to the “textbook” response of the helicopter’s pilots.

The helicopter – one of the army’s fleet of trouble prone MRH-90 Taipans – was flying over the water during a counter-terrorism training exercise when it lost power to its main rotor, forcing it to ditch in the water about 9pm on Wednesday night.

The special forces soldiers were wearing full battle kit, including body armour, ammunition and rifle, with a combined weight of 15-20kg each.

Two of those aboard suffered minor injuries. One had a “head bump”; the other ingested seawater, the army’s aviation commander, Major General Stephen Jobson, said.

He confirmed the MRH-90 fleet had been grounded until the crash was fully investigated.

Major General Jobson said the crew of the aircraft were “exceptionally professional” in their handling of the incident, enabling all ten of those on board to get out of the aircraft safely.

The helicopter was sitting in shallow water at the edge of Jervis Bay on Thursday morning after being recovered from deeper water.

Major General Jobson said he would not speculate on the cause of the crash until the Defence Flight Safety Bureau completed its investigation.

The 2nd Commando Regiment soldiers and navy clearance divers were members of the ADF’s east-coast counter-terrorism unit, Tactical Assault Group East.

The aircraft’s crew, which typically includes two pilots and two “loadmasters”, were with 6th Aviation Regiment. Both units are based at Sydney’s Holsworthy Barracks.

The pilots’ response to the incident had been vital in avoiding “catastrophe”, a military source said, noting that helicopters sank at a rate of 6m a second.

The incident demonstrated why soldiers wanted the army’s Taipans replaced by US-made Black Hawks as soon as possible, the source said.

“This reflects what the soldiers have been saying about this helicopter for months – the MRH-90 is riddled with issues. It has faults all the time, and now we’ve had a crash.”

“It looked like a controlled ditch”
A fisherman who was an eyewitness to a defence helicopter crash has told #Sunriseon7 of the shocking moment he saw the aircraft splashdown in the water at Jervis Bay overnight. pic.twitter.com/0cDJlLYen4

— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) March 22, 2023

The Albanese government announced in January that it would go ahead with the purchase of 40 Black Hawks to replace the European-made Taipans, in an acquisition worth an estimated $2.8bn.

Delivery of the new helicopters will commence later this year.

Defence Minister Richard Marles said the crew’s response had been “incredible”

“This was a textbook response – the crew were able to shut the engine down and to ditch the aircraft into Jarvis Bay in a way where it was able to keep the aircraft upright,” he said.

“We should all be thankful for the professionalism of the men and women in our defence forces. In this instance, they responded to a very terrifying situation.”

A man who was fishing on the bay when the crash occurred said it was “extraordinary” how quickly the incident unfolded.

“Typically they run these operations off the coast on a regular basis … There are a couple of boats out there with two or three choppers in the area. They were flying low over the water for quite some time,” he told Seven’s Sunrise program.

“At one point, this chopper was hovering above the water about 20 or 30 metres. Momentarily, the engine started dying off a little bit, then it picked back up again and … the sparks rose up.

“A big flash and a big bang and then a big fire and it gets down. It looked like it was a controlled ditch for about 20m or 30m above the water.”

He said he and his friends, one of whom is a Victorian paramedic rushed over to see if they could help but police had already responded to the incident.

“We ran to the beach and asked if we could help. But the police asked us to step away … within five or 10 minutes and there were boats and choppers everywhere,” he said.

Another fisherman who said he witnessed the incident told Nine News the crash appeared to have been controlled.

“And then all of a sudden ... all hell broke loose and they had choppers flying in; they had two or three other choppers flying in,” he said.

“They had boats coming in and they had this really big navy ship coming in so they were really quick to the scene and everything but yeah, crazy. It was so surreal.”

Army personnel are seen on the beach near the MRH-90 Taipan helicopter. Picture: TNV

Chief of Army Lieutenant General Simon Stuart thanked emergency responders for their quick action.

“Tonight quick responses from ADF personnel and emergency services and well drilled teams prevented a potential tragedy,” said Lieutenant General Stuart.

“We will conduct a thorough investigation into this incident to determine the cause and ensure the platform remains safe to operate.”

Assistant defence minister Matt Thistlethwaite said there would be a thorough investigation into the crash.

“Unfortunately the chopper lost power in the main rotor and was forced to ditch onto the beach and near the water.

Thankfully all 10 members of the crew are safe and OK, a couple with minor injuries and obviously there will be an investigation,” Mr Thistlethwaite told Sky News.

“It’s a testament to the skill and competence of the crew that they were able to ditch that helicopter safely in what were very trying circumstances and in the dark over the water, so full credit to the crew and thankfully they’re safe.

“The MRH90 is now on operational pause, so that’s the whole fleet and there will be a thorough investigation. There’s actually a crew on the ground there now that are conducting the investigation to try and find out what went wrong.”

The crash site was being contained by Australian Federal Police and ports personnel.

With Newswire