Defence lobby rejects helicopter accident inquiry call
Recent media report:
A military analyst says an independent inquiry into Australian Defence Force (ADF) helicopter accidents would achieve very little.
North Queensland independent MP Bob Katter says 31 military personnel have died in non-combat accidents in the past decade, compared with five Australian deaths in combat.
Mr Katter has called on Prime Minister John Howard to set up an independent inquiry to investigate.
But Australia Defence Association (ADA) spokesman Neil James says the two are very different areas of operation and cannot be compared.
"The reason for the discrepancy between the number of people killed in accidents and the number of people killed in combat is quite simple," he said.
"We fly helicopters all the time yet we're only in combat occasionally over the last 30 years.
"So given that each accident was thoroughly investigated and there's no pattern between them, I can't see what an independent inquiry into all of them would actually achieve."
Meanwhile, the Defence Department says it has video footage of the fatal Black Hawk helicopter accident.
The helicopter plunged into the sea off Fiji on Wednesday afternoon while trying to land on HMAS Kanimbla.
A closed circuit television above the flight deck on the Navy ship captured images of the crash, as well as all arrivals and departures.
That video will be examined by the air accident investigation team, before the Defence Department considers releasing it to the public.
The body of the pilot, Captain Mark Bingley, has been returned to his home town of Townsville overnight, while the search is continuing for missing soldier, Trooper Joshua Porter.
End:
I support the view of the ADF, the overall accident rate of of the Army per 100,000 hours flown is as good as the best, and although we can try extra hard and the ADF investigation may recommned changes (if any), the effort in a politically driven high level enquiry at the top; and on top of the current investigation system would tie up ADF resources which could be better used at the coal face enhance operational supervision, or whatever is needed when the facts are known,
Wot I am saying is: pollies go home and stop scoring points!