‘Human remains’ found in Australian military helicopter crash
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A Royal Australian Navy helicopter conducting search and rescue operations in the vicinity of Lindeman Island, Queensland, on July 29.
PHOTO: AFP
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SYDNEY - Human remains have been found at the site where an Australian military helicopter plunged into the sea off the country’s north-east coast,
Four crew members were on board the MRH-90 Taipan helicopter when it crashed close to the Whitsunday Islands during a multinational military exercise on the night of July 28.
The army’s chief of joint operations, Lieutenant-General Greg Bilton, told reporters in Queensland that the remains had been found by a remotely operated underwater vehicle.
They were located about 40m below the water’s surface along with wreckage from the helicopter, including parts of the cockpit.
Lt-Gen Bilton said the debris field was “consistent with a catastrophic high impact”, and that the human remains were unlikely to be identified until more wreckage was found.
Search team efforts had been hampered by strong currents and poor weather that was expected to last well into next week, he added.
Meanwhile, an investigation is under way into the cause of the crash, but search teams have yet to find the helicopter’s black box.
“It’s a difficult task but we will do our absolute best to find it – the black box is critical to helping us to understand what’s actually taken place,” Lt-Gen Bilton said.
(From left) Australian Army soldier, Corporal Alex Naggs, officer Lieutenant Maxwell Nugent and soldier, Warrant Officer Class 2 Joseph Laycock, went missing after their Taipan MRH-90 helicopter crashed near Queensland’s Hamilton Island on July 28.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
All communications from the helicopter were “normal” before it crashed, he added.
Following the crash, Australia’s Taipan fleet was grounded, with Defence Minister Richard Marles saying on Monday that the helicopters would not fly again until the crash investigation was completed.
The Taipans, which have had a troubled history, were already due to leave service at the end of 2023, with the Australian military switching to Black Hawks. AFP
