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http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20 … 02,00.html
ONE Australian soldier is dead and another missing after a Black Hawk helicopter crashed while trying to land on HMAS Kanimbla during exercises preparing for evacuations from Fiji.
Australian Defence Force (ADF) chief Angus Houston said last night 10 soldiers were aboard the helicopter when it went down in waters off southern Fiji late yesterday afternoon.
Nine personnel were rescued and another is missing. The Australian reported the missing soldier was an elite SAS trooper.
Of the nine, one later died while being treated by medical personnel and seven were suffering from injuries described as “not of a serious nature”.
The helicopter was carrying four air crew from the 5th Aviation Regiment, based in Townsville, and six Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) officers.
Air Chief Marshal Houston could not give the exact cause of the soldier's death but indicated it was connected with being in the water too long.
He would not provide details of the dead or missing soldier.
Defence was informing next of kin of the accident.
The Kanimbla, along with HMAS Newcastle and HMAS Success, had been in the waters off Fiji in recent weeks on standby to evacuate Australians in the event of political turmoil on the island erupting into a military coup.
Air Chief Marshal Houston said the Newcastle and other equipment was being used in the search for the missing officer.
“We won't give up searching until all hope is lost,” he said.
“We still have not given up hope of finding the individual.”
Today, the Newcastle will be used to transport the injured and the dead to Noumea where they will rendezvous with an aircraft tomorrow to return them to Australia.
Air Chief Marshal Houston said the helicopter went down after hitting the deck of the Kanimbla and then going over the side into water two to three thousand metres deep.
“The accident happened as the aircraft was going to land on the deck, it went over the side,” he said.
“It went over the landing deck and sank in very deep waters.”
It was unlikely the helicopter could be recovered given the depth of the water, he said.
“In terms of the helicopter, it crashed into very deep water, two to three thousand metres deep,” he said.
“Essentially I think it's going to be very difficult to recover it.
“My thoughts are it's probably gone forever, given the depth of the water.”
Defence Minister Brendan Nelson, who flew back from Rockhampton after being informed of the accident, praised the job being done by the men and women of the ADF.
“It is certainly worth remembering why they were there in the south-west Pacific. They are there to help and support Australians... should there be turmoil in Fiji,” Dr Nelson said.
Arriving in Malaysia for a whirlwind trade visit, Prime Minister John Howard told media that he wanted to express his deepest sympathies to the families of those affected.
“I would like to say how very saddened I am about the helicopter crash,” he said.
”I extend my deepest sympathy to the family of the man who has lost his life.”
Mr Howard said that like all Australians he was praying that the missing soldier was found and that the injuries of those who were rescued were not serious and they would be able to make a full recovery.
“This is just another reminder that we are dealing with a special group of people who take risks on our behalf,” he said.
“But any kind of activity of this character carries with it risks and it is particularly sad when that risk turns into tragedy.
“We all feel a particular sense of grief because these men and women take risks in our name and on our behalf and that gets at a very special character.”
Deputy Prime Minister Mark Vaile offered the sympathies of all Australians to those affected by the crash.
“We pray for the safety of the missing serviceman,” he said.
Opposition Leader Kim Beazley, too, extended his sympathies to the families.
“The loss of life is tragic in these circumstances,” he said.
“We are praying for the recovery of the missing soldier.”
Air Chief Marshal Houston is confident all seven injured will make a full recovery.
“We expect all members to recover fully and return to duty,” he said.
Defence is investigating the cause of the accident but, at present, it did not appear weather was a factor.
Air Chief Marshal Houston would not speculate on the cause of the accident.
“All I know is the accident happened as the aircraft was coming to land on the deck. Something happened, it landed hard on the deck and went over the side,” he said.
The fact the helicopter sank rapidly in very deep water may create difficulties for investigators.
“One of the complications we will have is we probably won't have helicopter wreckage to establish whether there was any mechanical problems and so on,” Air Chief Marshal Houston said.
“But we will investigate everything and hopefully we will find out exactly what happened.”
Yesterday’s accident adds to a sorry list of military deaths due to helicopter crashes.
Over the past decade more ADF personnel have died in helicopter crashes than from any other cause, including fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
One of the worst accidents occurred on June 12, 1996, when two Black Hawks collided and crashed in flames during a special forces training exercise outside Townsville.
Eighteen personnel died, 15 of them members of the Special Air Service Regiment engaged in a counter-terrorist exercise.
Then on April 12, 2005 a Sea King flying from the Kanimbla crashed as it came in to land on Nias Island, Indonesia. Six navy personnel and three soldiers died.
Air Chief Marshal Houston did not have any immediate information on how the crew of the Kanimbla was coping, given the vessel had been involved in the Sea King accident last year.
“Essentially I would imagine they'd be in a state of shock because it's not pleasant when you lose two members in these circumstances and I imagine they're dealing with that as best they can,” he said.
Dr Nelson said the accident did not necessarily indicate problems with the Black Hawk.
“The Black Hawk helicopter is a well tried, tested and true aircraft platform, it's served not only our country but a number of countries extremely well,” he said.
Australian Defence Association chief Neil James also defended the Black Hawk's record.
“It's not an old helicopter, it actually has a very good operational record and a very good safety record,” he told Sky News.
”Given the number of hours it's been flown over the years it's been in service it's actually got quite a good record.
“At this stage we don't know what's caused this crash and it's pretty silly to speculate without knowing some of the facts.”
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20 … 02,00.html
ONE Australian soldier is dead and another missing after a Black Hawk helicopter crashed while trying to land on HMAS Kanimbla during exercises preparing for evacuations from Fiji.
Australian Defence Force (ADF) chief Angus Houston said last night 10 soldiers were aboard the helicopter when it went down in waters off southern Fiji late yesterday afternoon.
Nine personnel were rescued and another is missing. The Australian reported the missing soldier was an elite SAS trooper.
Of the nine, one later died while being treated by medical personnel and seven were suffering from injuries described as “not of a serious nature”.
The helicopter was carrying four air crew from the 5th Aviation Regiment, based in Townsville, and six Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) officers.
Air Chief Marshal Houston could not give the exact cause of the soldier's death but indicated it was connected with being in the water too long.
He would not provide details of the dead or missing soldier.
Defence was informing next of kin of the accident.
The Kanimbla, along with HMAS Newcastle and HMAS Success, had been in the waters off Fiji in recent weeks on standby to evacuate Australians in the event of political turmoil on the island erupting into a military coup.
Air Chief Marshal Houston said the Newcastle and other equipment was being used in the search for the missing officer.
“We won't give up searching until all hope is lost,” he said.
“We still have not given up hope of finding the individual.”
Today, the Newcastle will be used to transport the injured and the dead to Noumea where they will rendezvous with an aircraft tomorrow to return them to Australia.
Air Chief Marshal Houston said the helicopter went down after hitting the deck of the Kanimbla and then going over the side into water two to three thousand metres deep.
“The accident happened as the aircraft was going to land on the deck, it went over the side,” he said.
“It went over the landing deck and sank in very deep waters.”
It was unlikely the helicopter could be recovered given the depth of the water, he said.
“In terms of the helicopter, it crashed into very deep water, two to three thousand metres deep,” he said.
“Essentially I think it's going to be very difficult to recover it.
“My thoughts are it's probably gone forever, given the depth of the water.”
Defence Minister Brendan Nelson, who flew back from Rockhampton after being informed of the accident, praised the job being done by the men and women of the ADF.
“It is certainly worth remembering why they were there in the south-west Pacific. They are there to help and support Australians... should there be turmoil in Fiji,” Dr Nelson said.
Arriving in Malaysia for a whirlwind trade visit, Prime Minister John Howard told media that he wanted to express his deepest sympathies to the families of those affected.
“I would like to say how very saddened I am about the helicopter crash,” he said.
”I extend my deepest sympathy to the family of the man who has lost his life.”
Mr Howard said that like all Australians he was praying that the missing soldier was found and that the injuries of those who were rescued were not serious and they would be able to make a full recovery.
“This is just another reminder that we are dealing with a special group of people who take risks on our behalf,” he said.
“But any kind of activity of this character carries with it risks and it is particularly sad when that risk turns into tragedy.
“We all feel a particular sense of grief because these men and women take risks in our name and on our behalf and that gets at a very special character.”
Deputy Prime Minister Mark Vaile offered the sympathies of all Australians to those affected by the crash.
“We pray for the safety of the missing serviceman,” he said.
Opposition Leader Kim Beazley, too, extended his sympathies to the families.
“The loss of life is tragic in these circumstances,” he said.
“We are praying for the recovery of the missing soldier.”
Air Chief Marshal Houston is confident all seven injured will make a full recovery.
“We expect all members to recover fully and return to duty,” he said.
Defence is investigating the cause of the accident but, at present, it did not appear weather was a factor.
Air Chief Marshal Houston would not speculate on the cause of the accident.
“All I know is the accident happened as the aircraft was coming to land on the deck. Something happened, it landed hard on the deck and went over the side,” he said.
The fact the helicopter sank rapidly in very deep water may create difficulties for investigators.
“One of the complications we will have is we probably won't have helicopter wreckage to establish whether there was any mechanical problems and so on,” Air Chief Marshal Houston said.
“But we will investigate everything and hopefully we will find out exactly what happened.”
Yesterday’s accident adds to a sorry list of military deaths due to helicopter crashes.
Over the past decade more ADF personnel have died in helicopter crashes than from any other cause, including fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
One of the worst accidents occurred on June 12, 1996, when two Black Hawks collided and crashed in flames during a special forces training exercise outside Townsville.
Eighteen personnel died, 15 of them members of the Special Air Service Regiment engaged in a counter-terrorist exercise.
Then on April 12, 2005 a Sea King flying from the Kanimbla crashed as it came in to land on Nias Island, Indonesia. Six navy personnel and three soldiers died.
Air Chief Marshal Houston did not have any immediate information on how the crew of the Kanimbla was coping, given the vessel had been involved in the Sea King accident last year.
“Essentially I would imagine they'd be in a state of shock because it's not pleasant when you lose two members in these circumstances and I imagine they're dealing with that as best they can,” he said.
Dr Nelson said the accident did not necessarily indicate problems with the Black Hawk.
“The Black Hawk helicopter is a well tried, tested and true aircraft platform, it's served not only our country but a number of countries extremely well,” he said.
Australian Defence Association chief Neil James also defended the Black Hawk's record.
“It's not an old helicopter, it actually has a very good operational record and a very good safety record,” he told Sky News.
”Given the number of hours it's been flown over the years it's been in service it's actually got quite a good record.
“At this stage we don't know what's caused this crash and it's pretty silly to speculate without knowing some of the facts.”