Helicopter close call in Tasmania in 2024 unreported to safety authorities until video tip-off to ATSB

Australia Broadcast Center

6 days ago

An incident in which a helicopter crew disagreed before the aircraft smashed into a lake due to pilot miscalculation was not reported to safety authorities, in breach of regulations.
The incident in Tullah, in Tasmania's north-west in July 2024, only came to light after a member of the public saw a video on Facebook and later reported it to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.
The Bell 214B-1 helicopter, operated by McDermott Aviation, had departed a private airfield at Cressy, Tasmania for an "external sling load operation" at Tullah, the ATSB report said.
The helicopter was crewed by two pilots, with the copilot as "pilot flying" in control of the aircraft.
As the helicopter arrived over Tullah, the crew "observed significant fog over most of the town, from the reservoir to the ridge".
The crew "discussed the available options to land at Tullah", with disagreement over which approach to take — after which control was taken over by the other crew member, referred to in the report as the "pilot in command" (PIC).
The PIC "reported as the sun was low on the horizon and the water was glassy calm, there was a reflection of the edge of town and trees along the reservoir, reducing their depth perception".
Due to a "concern with possibly flying into the water, the PIC planned to conduct a slow and steep approach towards the reservoir", the ATSB found.
The PIC "anticipated they would become visual with the water at approximately 100‍-‍200 feet (30-60 metres), aided by the rotor downwash disturbing the water surface", with the pilot then using this "as a height reference, then climb back to 500 ft (150 metres) to continue to the edge of town for further descent".
However, during the descent, the rotor downwash was "not visible to the crew due to the descent angle", with the crew losing sight of the "visual reference with the water".
At approximately 5 feet (1.5 metres), the crew "identified the water surface", with the PIC "immediately" applying power to "stop the descent and initiate a climb", the report noted.
The ATSB said the video showed the helicopter "making a significant splash", before it pulls away and climbs to 500 feet above the water.
In its report, the ATSB said the "serious incident" was not reported at the time by the helicopter operator, as is "required by the Transport Safety Investigation Regulations".
It decided to investigate after "receiving video of the incident from a third party".
There were no injuries arising out of the incident, the report said.
The incident first came to light after a video was shared in a community Facebook group about helicopters being involved in communication tower upgrades in the local area.
The post, shared a day after the incident, shows the helicopter involved — the yellow and blue McDermott Aviation Bell 214 with another helicopter during "emergency services communications upgrade" work — and mentions "fog/low cloud" in the area.
The video posted into the comments, later deleted but obtained by the ABC, shows the helicopter coming in low and hitting the water, before pulling away — with a witness heard exclaiming "what the f***?".
The witness, who asked to not be named, told the ABC they were "just hoping they'd get back up and the motor didn't die".
The member of the public who reported the incident to the ATSB said they did so after they could not get answers as to what happened from the company.
"I am just disappointed that it never got reported from the pilots, when it was a clear incident involving terrain," said the person, who also asked to remain anonymous.
The ATSB concluded the helicopter crew did not follow "effective" communication and "decision-making" protocols, known as crew resource management, in the lead-up to the incident, which it said "could have been avoided".
McDermott Aviation Group promotes itself as Australia's "largest privately owned aviation company", with operations across the country and in the US, "Port Moresby, New Caledonia, Europe and Greece".
On the company website, it says it operates 13 Bell 214 "heavy lift" helicopters in its fleet
As well as other tasks, the company's helicopters have been involved in numerous firefighting operations in Tasmania.
McDermott Aviation has been contacted for comment.