Originally Posted by
KRviator
Anyone have any info on total sorties flown for the last say, 5 years, nationwide, vs the loss rate?...
The ATSB seems to be on the case with a review currently underway:
https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications...ir/as-2021-015
The link to an earlier statistical report is broken at the above site but I have seen it before somewhere on the ATSB website.
As for the recent aerial firefighting related accidents in Australia, these are some I recall in chronological order (including cases listed by KRviator) with help of ATSB website:
08-12-09: AS350B2 (VH-NFO) & BK117 (VH-LXC) near Orange, NSW [older case of collision, fortunately not major]
....
23-10-13: PZL Mielec M18A VH-TZJ near Ulladulla, NSW
17-08-18: BK117 VH-JWB Ulladulla, NSW
28-01-19: S-64E N173AC near Jericho, VIC
07-12-19: UH-1H VH-OXI near Crawford River, NSW [fire control work]
09-01-20: UH-1H VH-ONZ Ben Boyd Reservoir, NSW [bushfire clean-up work]
23-01-20: EC130Q N134CG near Peak View, NSW
14-02-22: UH-1H VH-UHX near Launceston, TAS
06-02-23: 737-3H4 N619SW Fitzgerald River NP, WA
The UH-1 loss recalled by KRviator might be Garlick UH-1H VH-HUE which suffered an engine failure while conducting long-line ops in support of Snowy Hydro 2.0 some distance from Talbingo on 17 April 2018. It ended in a riverbed. I seem to recall a second UH-1 / 205 was also lost supporting Snowy Hydro (not the case of accidental load release from Bell 205, also VH-HUE, on 10 Jan 2019 listed on ATSB site, rather a further loss of a helicopter).