Black Hawk crash footage released
Monday Jun 18 18:00 AEST
By ninemsn staff with wires
Shocking footage of an army Black Hawk helicopter crashing into the deck of the HMAS Kanimbla has been made public after it was shown at an inquiry earlier today.
Two soldiers were killed when Black Hawk A25-221 crashed and plunged into the sea off Fiji on November 29 last year.
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VIDEO: Shocking impact
The CCTV footage shows the helicopter slamming into the ship's deck before uncontrollably spinning into the ocean.
The inquiry heard that wind conditions on the day meant the helicopter should never have attempted the landing it had been briefed to conduct.
The inquiry is being conducted by retired NSW Supreme Court Justice David Levine QC at Sydney's Randwick Barracks.
Four crew members and six passengers were on the helicopter.
Nine of the 10 were rescued before the Black Hawk sank but the pilot,
Captain Mark Bingley, later died of his injuries.
In March, the helicopter wreckage and body of Special Air Service Trooper Joshua Porter were recovered from the sea floor at a depth of almost 3km.
Counsel assisting the defence board of inquiry, Commander Jack Rush QC, said the Black Hawk was undertaking a "high-risk" training exercise in tail winds of 10-15 knots when it crashed into the deck, severing the tail rotor from the main body.
Cdr Rush said the brief of how to conduct the exercise should have been altered to take into account the tail wind, which would have made it difficult for the pilot to control the helicopter's descent.
"The evidence before the board foreshowed there was a critical lack of risk management processes," Cdr Rush told the inquiry.
"As briefed, the flight should not have been authorised.
"Specifically, changes should have been made to the brief to allow for the wind."
He said changes should have included an adjustment to the speed at which the aircraft approached the ship.
The inquiry was also shown graphic video footage filmed by a trooper sitting in the back of the helicopter. Both videos showed the helicopter colliding with HMAS Kanimbla.
The family of Trooper Porter, including his widow Carinna and one-month-old daughter Madison, along with the family of Captain Bingley, also watched video footage of the salvage operation of the Black Hawk from the ocean floor.
The inquiry was told by Major-General Anthony Fraser, head of the army's helicopter systems, that a decision had been made not to fit flotation devices to Black Hawks as it would have increased their weight and could slow escape from a sinking helicopter.
However, he said they would also have lowered the speed at which the helicopter sunk.
The inquiry continues.
İAAP 2007
Very sad indeed. Not having flown a Blackhawk and without any familiarity of
same, would a 10-15knot tailwind really have such a dramatic effect on such an aircraft?
Please let me make it clear that this is a genuine enquiry and nothing more.
Cheers
Gotagivitago
P.S Can I also just say how tremendously impressed I was with the way Captain Bingley's wife has conducted herself throughout this whole affair. He must be extremely proud of her and rightly so.
In saying that, I mean no disrespect to anyone else as she was the only widow I saw on the news
Last edited by Gotagivitago; 18th Jun 2007 at 13:40.