Aussie BlackHawk Down in Fiji.

[Mick.B]

Reports are starting to filter in on a Blackhawk that has come down near Fiji. Hope all are OK.

[Compressorstall]

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=166960

See the link for more news.

[PLE Always]

G'day,

A sad sad day.

My thoughts are with all those involved with this tragedy.

Audio and Video recordings of the CDF & MINDEF’s speeches can be found at the following link:

http://www.defence.gov.au/media/download/audio/index.cfm

PLE :(

[jetflite]

ADF names victim of helicopter crash
Thursday Nov 30 18:37 AEDT
Defence has confirmed Captain Mark Bingley as the army pilot who died in the Black Hawk helicopter crash off Fiji on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the search for an SAS soldier missing in the Pacific since the crash is continuing.

Australia's defence chief Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston says the search will continue until all hope of finding the soldier has gone.

The defence chief launched a staunch defence of the army's Black Hawks, declaring they are a proven aircraft and Australia's accident rate involving the choppers is less than that of other nations.




Captain Bingley, a Townsville-based pilot, died and an SAS soldier remains missing after a Black Hawk carrying 10 personnel hit the deck of HMAS Kanimbla during landing on Wednesday and plunged into the ocean, south-west of Fiji.

The body of Captain Bingley plus seven injured soldiers are en route to Noumea aboard HMAS Newcastle. From there, they will fly by RAAF C-130 Hercules transport aircraft to Australia, arriving on Friday night at an undisclosed destination.

Air Chief Marshal Houston said the Australian Defence Force understood the broad circumstances of the accident but finding the precise cause would be left to the coroner.

He said two navy inflatable boats and a Navy Sea Hawk equipped with infra-red sensors searched through the night for the missing soldier, a member of the Special Air Service Regiment.

A RAAF AP-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft from Australia would join the search.

"The search will continue until all hope is gone," said Air Chief Marshal Houston.

"It is absolutely imperative that we continue to pursue that particular endeavour."

Air Chief Marshal Houston - an experienced helicopter pilot who oversaw the introduction of the Black Hawk to Australian service and has just under 500 hours flying experience on the aircraft - said he had complete confidence in their reliability and airworthiness.

"It has provided the ADF with outstanding service at home and abroad on operations since entering service 18 years ago and has an accident rate in Australia below the world average," he said.

"We have strong confidence in the protection and survivability it provides for our crews."

Air Chief Marshal Houston said Australian Black Hawks had operated from Australian and coalition ships throughout their service.

He said air crews were highly trained for such operations.

"I can confirm that all members on board the aircraft at the time of the accident had all completed helicopter underwater escape training and were wearing flotation devices," he said.

Air Chief Marshal Houston said the precise location of the accident was known and an assessment of the feasibility of recovering the wreckage would be undertaken.

But the helicopter had sunk in very deep water and any recovery would be challenging, he said.

Captain Bingley, 35, is survived by his wife and a son.

In a statement, defence said that Captain Bingley had been posted to Townsville to the 171 Aviation Squadron as a qualified flying instructor on Black Hawk helicopters.

Originally from Launceston in Tasmania, Captain Bingley joined the army in 1990.

Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said Captain Bingley had served with distinction.

"All Australians should feel very proud of his courage and commitment," he said.

"Our sympathies go to all of Captain Bingley's family, in particular his wife and son."

Australian Defence Force chief Angus Houston also offered his condolences to Captain Bingley's family and friends.

"He was an extremely competent and highly regarded member of Army's aviation community," he said.

"Captain Bingley will be remembered as a dedicated pilot who had an infectious energy and a great sense of humour.

"He was a valued team member who will be sorely missed by his comrades, the Army and the Australian Defence Force."

After recruit training, Capt Bingley served as a rifleman in the First Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR). He was promoted to corporal in 1997.

He trained as a helicopter pilot, after which he was commissioned in 1998 as a second lieutenant in the Army Aviation Corps.

Defence said he had flown helicopters for the 5th Aviation Regiment in Australia and overseas, and had trained in the US. He had served in East Timor, Cambodia and the Solomon Islands.

Capt Bingley was awarded the United Nations Medal for service in Cambodia and East Timor, the International Forces East Timor Medal, the Australian Active Service Medal, the Defence Long Service Medal and the Australian Defence Medal.

[zic]

Felcher, you will be sorely missed - a consummate aviator and above all a good bloke. The world is a lesser place without your enthuasiasm, wit and above all your dedication to the cause.
A Sad day for 171 and Army Aviation.

[smokegone]

A decent bloke, slightly nutty like all 1 RAR grunts (myself included) but a good bloke.

A sad loss.

RIP.

[Wiley]

I’ve just read the online Letters to the Editor in ‘The Australian’ discussing the Blackhawk crash. From some (most!) of the comments, you’d think the writers were Germans in the late 1960’s discussing the Luftwaffe’s F104’s ‘widow makers’. (For those too young to remember, the Germans were seemingly losing one F104 a week for a while there.)

To my knowledge, the Australian Blackhawk fleet has suffered three Cat 5 losses in almost ten years, (and two of those aircraft were lost in a midair, so it could be said there have been only TWO major accidents in that period), and the Australian public are wailing and gnashing their teeth and bemoaning the ADF’s and the Blackhawk's “gross shortcomings” as if it’s the morning after the first day of the **** Somme! I was listening to Sydney talkback radio a day or two ago and heard much the same sentiments from many who called in, with few if any ‘in the know’ bothering to call in to refute the mostly nonsense being spoken by the many.

It’s quite obvious that few of the chattering class have any idea of what’s involved on a day to day basis in military rotary wing flying. Maybe it’s about time someone made them aware of it.

[Vija]

Totally agree Wiley, I hate it how everyone jumps on the bandwagon when something terrible like this happens. My heart goes out to his wife and kid.
I was also disgusted with the way the media bombarded CDF in that press conference, even bringing up the Private Kovco incident.

[griffinblack]

Blackhawk down in Lima 1 - circa 1991/2?
Blackhawk collision 1996
Blackhawk CFIT in 2004(?) conducting evasive manoeuvres near AMB
And this accident

Total 5 CAT 5

Not too bad for approx 18 years service at an ROE of about 8 000 hrs per year

[Wiley]

Thanks for the corrections, 'griffinblack'. You're right - it is almost 20 years, not 10, and I wasn't aware of the other two losses. But even with those, given the very nature of military helicopter flying, the Blackhawk’s record is not a long way behind the RAAF’s with their Hercs. (Is there another air force out there that has operated 24 C130s since 1956 – that’s 50 years – without loss?)

I have to admit to being one of those who believes that the handing over of the rotary wing flying to the Army was a great mistake. I still believe that to be so, but that’s another argument not for this thread and it does not imply any disrespect for the professionalism of the people who fly for the Green Machine.

[baffler15]

Lets not forget too that the reason so many have walked away from a Cat 5 crash (1996 included) is that because the Black Hawk is such an awesome aircraft in terms of safety and crashworthiness. Somehow, in all the television interviews and talkback radio segments after these tragic events, this never gets mentioned...........

[parabellum]

Wiley
"I have to admit to being one of those who believes that the handing over of the rotary wing flying to the Army was a great mistake. I still believe that to be so, but that’s another argument not for this thread and it does not imply any disrespect for the professionalism of the people who fly for the Green Machine."

Please start that other thread and please explain.

[movin' up]

Black Hawk crash inquiry told of landing problem

Posted 2 hours 13 minutes ago
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200706/r152611_546320.jpg (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200706/r152611_546327.jpg)Captain Mark Bingley and Trooper Joshua Porter were killed in the crash. (File photo) (ABC News)


Map: Sydney 2000 (http://www.abc.net.au/news/maps/map.htm?lat=-33.8631&long=151.2043&caption=Sydney 2000)

A defence inquiry in Sydney has heard that a Black Hawk pilot had a problem with his approach to HMAS Kanimbla the night before he crashed his helicopter.
A Black Hawk co-pilot known as 'Captain Eight' flew with Captain Mark Bingley the night before he drowned in his helicopter after it crashed off the deck of HMAS Kanimbla.
Captain Eight told the inquiry that instruments had warned that the rotary blades were dripping.
She says that if that happens, the helicopter cannot stay in the air, and the approach to the ship has been mishandled.
She says likely causes are excessive speed or angle, or the pilot demanding too much of the engine.
Captain Eight says the warning horn and light went off the instant she called out the warning, and the Black Hawk landed safely.
The next day, Trooper Joshua Porter and Captain Bingley died after the Black Hawk crashed.


Has anyone else suffered from DRIPPING blades?

[Arm out the window]

Drooping Nr, I guess. Good old press.
There was some flight testing done (early 90s, I think) by ARDU looking at droop when power was sucked in quickly - don't know what came of it.

Re the Army should or shouldn't have helicopters argument - there's been a few threads on it, the most recent only a few months ago, I think, so if anyone still wants to have their 2 bob's worth it can probably be resurrected by a search rather than starting a new one.