Australianews.com.au

Bombshell detail in deadly army chopper crash

A Senate inquiry has found dangerous helmet software, a flawed aircraft and severe crew fatigue all contributed to the 2023 army helicopter crash that killed four soldiers.

A parliamentary report has found multiple failures – including dangerous software, a flawed aircraft and severe crew fatigue – led to a deadly MRH-90 Taipan helicopter crash which killed four soldiers in 2023.

The Long Sip
What happened

A parliamentary report has identified multiple failures behind the 2023 MRH-90 Taipan crash near Lindeman Island that killed four soldiers during Exercise Talisman Sabre.

The detail

The crew were using a helmet display software update that the Army's own safety unit had rated unacceptable, as it gave pilots false visual cues when turning their heads in the dark.

What it means

The MRH-90 fleet was subsequently scrapped rather than sold, with the $15 billion program's helicopters dismantled for spare parts after the fatal crash.

Full story at news.com.au

What readers are saying

GranPete
The HMSD v5.10 update was rated an unacceptable risk by AATES yet leadership cleared it anyway because it passed a German standard. That decision put tired crews flying low at night straight into disorientation. The report shows exactly how the can do culture overrode the warnings.
Bobbie
The bypassed safety rejection stands out as indefensible.
helena1959
The fatigue management failure is particularly troubling.
ozzy1955
The detail about the aircraft being accepted in a form that did not meet contracted specifications back in 2007 is alarming. It raises real questions about oversight long before this training exercise took place.

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