Media Gallery
| 29 November 2006 BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER LOST NEAR FIJI |
Questions and Answers Wednesday 29 November 2006 How many personnel were involved and what is their condition? There were 10 personnel on board the Black Hawk.
What is the progress with the search for the missing person? A Seahawk helicopter from HMAS Newcastle is conducting a search for the missing person. Who was involved? There were two pilots, two loadmasters and six personnel on board the aircraft. All were Army personnel. The soldiers were part of the security element of the forces embarked to provide support to Australian citizens in Fiji if required. Have the Next of Kin (NOK) been informed? The NOK of the deceased and missing members have been advised. How did it happen? Defence will not comment further on how the accident occurred until a preliminary investigation has been completed. There is no indication at this stage how long this may take. Where did it happen? In the South West Pacific near Fiji. What were they doing at the time? The helicopter was conducting a training flight. I do not have more detail on the activity at this time. What training do your people do to deal with incidents like these? Personnel involved in maritime helicopter operations conduct helicopter underwater escape training. What safety equipment were the embarked forces using? Personnel operating over water wear a reserve-flotation device and aircrew have a mission-specific ensemble that includes a flotation device and reserve air supply. Will the Black Hawk be recovered? A decision is yet to be made however, the water is estimated as being up to 3000 metres deep where the incident occurred. Were Special Forces involved in the incident? There were six Special Air Service Regiment personnel on the aircraft. Will an investigation into the accident take place? Yes. The ADF has already commenced preliminary inquiry. A full inquiry will be conducted in due course. Why were they conducting a training flight? The embarked elements conduct training to ensure that are ready to act at short notice. This activity was part of routine training. MEDICAL What is the condition of the injured? The seven personnel have non life-threatening injuries including cuts, abrasions and some fractures. What medical evacuation assets have been tasked? There is a medical facility on board HMAS Kanimbla. A critical incident stress management team will also be deployed as soon as possible. REPATRIATION Will the ADF evacuate the casualties? The deceased and injured personnel who require evacuation will be transferred to HMAS Newcastle and move to Noumea . Repatriation will then occur from Noumea by RAAF aircraft. Final arrangements are yet to be confirmed. FIJI What does this mean for the mission? The elements that we have deployed retain the capability to support Australian citizens in Fiji if required. This incident will have an initial effect as the ADF conduct the search for our missing person and commence investigation into this incident. The ADF however, will remain focussed on the mission and will be able to provide support to Australian citizens in Fiji if required. Additional assets will soon be dispatched to assist with critical incident management and investigation. BLACK HAWKS Has the Black Hawk fleet been grounded? No. At this stage there is no reason to ground the ADF's Black Hawk fleet. Why was an Army helicopter on a Navy ship? The Black Hawks are part of the Army detachment that is embarked on HMAS Kanimbla to provide support to Australian citizens in Fiji if required. HMAS Kanimbla is capable of supporting Black Hawk and Sea King helicopters. In this case 4 Black Hawks were embarked.
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