Investigations rule out links between fatal Queensland army chopper crash and earlier Jervis Bay incident (2024)

A broken engine component has been identified as the "primary" cause of an Army helicopter accident in March, but investigators are still working to determine the precise reasons for a crash that killed four soldiers off the Queensland coast several months later.

The ABC can reveal details of the initial safety investigations into the ditching of a Taipan helicopter in New South Wales, as well as the Whitsundays tragedy in July involving the same troubled MRH-90 aircraft type, with both sets of findings classified "Official – Sensitive".

Senior military figures say early inspections on the Taipan which crashed into Jervis Bay revealed one of its two engines stopped working because of a "first stage high pressure turbine fan-blade failure", a condition first identified on the Airbus-designed helicopter a decade ago.

"This was a known failure condition that had been previously identified to us as early as 2012, with a modification proposed to us by the original (engine) equipment manufacturer," a source familiar with the investigation said.

The Safran-made engine that failed on the Taipan which ditched into Jervis Bay had not received the recommended, but non-mandatory modification:however, it was still certified as airworthy by the Defence safety regulator.

Concerns about software upgrades not being completed on the army's entire Taipan fleet have also been ruled out as a contributing factor in the March forced landing, which occurred during a night-time training exercise and resulted in some injuries.

An interim Defence Flight Safety Board report has now been completed into the incident, with a final report and recommendations expected to be delivered in February next year.

Factors including weather and flight planning being examined in Whitsundays investigation

A preliminary 30-day report into July's fatal accident off the Queensland coast has now been completed and has ruled out any connection with the engine fault that caused the earlier Taipan ditching in Jervis Bay.

Defence sources have confirmed both engines on the MRH-90 which crashed near Lindeman Island had received the recommended modifications and were "running normally" at time of impact.

Lieutenant Maxwell Nugent, Warrant Officer Class 2 Joseph Layco*ck, Corporal Alexander Naggs and Captain Dan Lyon were all killed on the night of July 28 when their Taipan crashed while taking part in Exercise Talisman Sabre.

Initial investigations have already examined known factors such as weather conditions, the planned route and the eventual route taken on the night of the tragedy, but detailed analysis and collection of evidence is continuing.

A more comprehensive report is not expected to be completed until mid-next year at the earliest, but other nations that fly the MRH-90 were last month briefed by the Australian Army on the preliminary findings into the Whitsundays incident.

Two Army aviation sources, not directly connected with the Whitsunday crash investigation, have told the ABC that use of night vision equipment would almost certainly be a focus of safety officials.

"On the MRH-90 it is referred to as TopOwl or the Helmet Mounted Sight Display (HMSD)," one former Taipan pilot told the ABC, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Last month, Defence Minister Richard Marles announced the government would retire Australia's Taipan fleet before their scheduled withdrawal date of December 2024, as the Army prepares to accept new US-made Black Hawks.

The minister saidchanges were made to thefleet of Army helicopters after the March incident.

"There was a recommendation, not a mandatory requirement from the operator of the aircraft around that," he said.

"There's been a process of putting those rectifications in place."

On Wednesday, Defence officials are expected to face questions about the Taipan accidents when appearing before a Senate estimates hearing in Canberra.

ABC