An ADF helicopter that crashed on a beach during a “routine” counter-terrorism exercise is one of numerous helicopters of the same model that have been plagued by safety issues.
The MRH-90 Taipan multi-role helicopter was flying over Jervis Bay at about 9pm on Wednesday when the main rotor lost power.
The crew was forced to pull off an impressive landing manoeuvre on the beach.
The defence force has temporarily paused training activity and grounded the MRH-90 Taipan fleet while the cause of the crash is investigated by the Defence Flight Safety Bureau.
The federal government announced earlier this year that it would phase out the MRH-90 Taipan fleet next year - 13 years ahead of the schedule, the ABC reports.
All 47 helicopters in the fleet were grounded in 2019 due to an issue with a tail rotor blade.
Defence Minister Richard Marles said 10 Navy clearance divers and Army special forces were on-board when the main rotor lost power.
Mr Marles praised the crew for ditching the helicopter in a safe way.
“This was a textbook response – the crew were able to shut the engine down and to ditch the aircraft into Jarvis 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.”
He said the helicopter was one of the ageing military aircrafts due for retirement.
Two of the defence personnel on-board sustained minor injuries in the incident.
Greens Senator David Shoebridge took to social media on Thursday morning to condemn the ‘Taipan’ helicopter as “disasters waiting to happen since the moment Defence made the cooked decision to spend billions buying them”.
“They have never worked and no one has been held to account for the failures. Ever.”
Army chief lieutenant general Simon Stuart AO DSC said quick actions by emergency services prevented a “potential tragedy”.
“We will conduct a thorough investigation into this incident to determine the cause and ensure the platform remains safe to operate.”
The Australian Defence Force said that as a precaution the training activity has been temporarily paused and the MRH-90 Taipan fleet grounded while the cause of the incident is investigated.
