Latest news with #Bushman82
Hans India
21-05-2025
- Hans India
2023 fatal Australian army helicopter crash caused by pilot disorientation: Investigation
Canberra: A 2023 Australian army helicopter crash that killed four soldiers was caused by the pilot becoming disoriented, an investigation has found. The Department of Defence on Wednesday publicly released the aviation safety investigation report into the MRH-90 Taipan helicopter crash in July 2023. All four soldiers on board, including pilot Danniel Lyon and co-pilot Maxwell Nugent, were killed when the helicopter crashed into the ocean off Australia's east coast during a late-night defence training exercise in July 2023. The 228-page report found that the primary cause of the accident was Lyon suffering from an unrecognised loss of spatial orientation. "This refers to a situation where a pilot is unaware of their actual orientation in relation to the earth's surface and the surrounding environment," the Department of Defence said in a statement. The helicopter with the callsign "Bushman 83" was third in a formation of four MRH-90s that were conducting various manoeuvres during the exercise. The report found that, after making a turn, Bushman 83 climbed 100 feet before rapidly descending and crashing into the ocean in a 21-second span. It said that Lyon "almost certainly" lost sight of the aircraft ahead, Bushman 82, and tried to regain visual but likely did not know the helicopter was facing nose down and accelerated quickly, resulting in an "unrecoverable" rate of descent towards the water. During the descent, the investigation found that Lyon likely regained sight of Bushman 82 and took evasive action to avoid a mid-air collision, potentially saving lives, Xinhua news agency reported. The report found that the conditions at the time increased the risk of a person experiencing spatial disorientation and that Lyon and Nugent were likely suffering from fatigue as a result of disruptive work patterns, burnout and poor sleeping conditions during the training exercise. It made 196 findings and 46 recommendations across the Defense Aviation Safety Program, all of which have been accepted. The Department of Defence said that the investigation was one of the most complex conducted in recent history.
West Australian
21-05-2025
- General
- West Australian
Pilot's last manoeuvre may have prevented second helicopter tragedy
A military pilot's last-second evasive manoeuvre likely saved four lives during a catastrophic Army helicopter crash in the Whitsundays, a new investigation has revealed. Captain Danniel Lyon, who died alongside co-pilot Lieutenant Maxwell Nugent, Warrant Officer Class 2 Phillip Laycock and Corporal Alexander Naggs, managed to avoid a mid-air collision despite losing control of his MRH-90 Taipan, according to a 228-page report by the Defence Flight Safety Bureau (DFSB). The crash occurred on July 28, 2023, during Exercise Talisman Sabre, when the Taipan, call sign Bushman 83, plunged into the ocean off Hamilton Island while flying in formation with three other helicopters. The DFSB concluded the primary cause was spatial disorientation, with Captain Lyon and Lieutenant Nugent becoming disoriented for 21 seconds before impact. However, in the final moments, Captain Lyon rolled the aircraft to the right, diverting it from a potential collision course with Bushman 82. 'During the two and a half seconds after the pushover, (flight data recorder) analysis indicates that the relative distance between the two aircraft decreased from approximately 100 metres to 50 metres,' the report said. 'In response to this increasing closure, it is likely (Captain Lyon) acted to avoid a potential mid-air collision with BSMN 82 by executing an avoidance turn to the right.' The report found Captain Lyon's action, taken while the aircraft was 'unrecoverable', likely prevented further loss of life. Cockpit audio captured a calm and focused exchange between Captain Lyon and Lieutenant Nugent just seconds before the crash. 'It's getting dicey,' Captain Lyon said five seconds into a left-hand turn through rain showers. Moments later, he told Lieutenant Nugent, 'I'll just get around the corner for you mate … while we're dealing with the rain shower.' As they climbed, Captain Lyon asked: 'Have you still got em?' referring to the aircraft ahead. Lieutenant Nugent replied, 'Yeah, still get em mate.' Investigators believe this exchange marked the moment Captain Lyon lost visual contact with the Bushman 82 helicopter. He then began climbing through poor visibility and attempted quick manoeuvres to regain sight of the aircraft, rolling sharply right and then left. Neither Captain Lyon nor co-pilot Lieutenant Nugent appeared to notice a critical change in the aircraft's pitch, from nose-up to nose-down, as their helicopter climbed above the rest of the formation Unaware of the aircraft's downward attitude, Captain Lyon pitched down further, inadvertently pushing the aircraft into a fatal nose-down descent. In the final seconds before impact, Captain Lyon recognised that his plummeting helicopter, Bushman 83, was on a collision course with Bushman 82. Despite knowing his own chopper was unrecoverable, he took immediate evasive action, rolling sharply to the right in a final act that likely saved the lives of the four crew aboard Bushman 82. Bushman 83 hit the water at 10:36:25pm, travelling at 259km/h. The four men were killed instantly. The DFSB noted that fatigue likely contributed to the spatial disorientation. Both Captain Lyon and Lieutenant Nugent had been sleeping in tents at Proserpine Airport in the days prior and waited inside the aircraft for two hours before takeoff. The investigation also assessed whether the TopOwl 5.10 helmet, criticised in test reports for its inverted pitch and roll displays when pilots turn their heads, contributed to the crash. The helmet was described by Army test pilots as a 'substantial risk of multiple deaths', but the DFSB found it was 'very unlikely' to have caused the disorientation in this instance. 'While both AATES and Standards Section test and evaluation reports agreed that there were deficiencies relating to attitude presentation, the two agencies disagreed on the severity of the hazard,' the report said. The DFSB made 46 recommendations, including improvements to fatigue management, minimum night flying altitudes over water, and better training for spatial disorientation. The Defence Aviation Authority has accepted all recommendations. The report is one of the most complex aviation investigations conducted by Defence. Separate probes by the Inspector-General of the ADF, Comcare, and the Queensland coroner remain ongoing.
Perth Now
21-05-2025
- General
- Perth Now
Final moments before Taipan crash revealed
A military pilot's last-second evasive manoeuvre likely saved four lives during a catastrophic Army helicopter crash in the Whitsundays, a new investigation has revealed. Captain Danniel Lyon, who died alongside co-pilot Lieutenant Maxwell Nugent, Warrant Officer Class 2 Phillip Laycock and Corporal Alexander Naggs, managed to avoid a mid-air collision despite losing control of his MRH-90 Taipan, according to a 228-page report by the Defence Flight Safety Bureau (DFSB). The crash occurred on July 28, 2023, during Exercise Talisman Sabre, when the Taipan, call sign Bushman 83, plunged into the ocean off Hamilton Island while flying in formation with three other helicopters. Victims of the MRH-90 Taipan crash (from left) Lieutenant Maxwell Nugent, Captain Danniel Lyon, Corporal Alex Naggs and Warrant Officer Class 2 Joseph Laycock. Credit: News Corp Australia The DFSB concluded the primary cause was spatial disorientation, with Captain Lyon and Lieutenant Nugent becoming disoriented for 21 seconds before impact. However, in the final moments, Captain Lyon rolled the aircraft to the right, diverting it from a potential collision course with Bushman 82. 'During the two and a half seconds after the pushover, (flight data recorder) analysis indicates that the relative distance between the two aircraft decreased from approximately 100 metres to 50 metres,' the report said. 'In response to this increasing closure, it is likely (Captain Lyon) acted to avoid a potential mid-air collision with BSMN 82 by executing an avoidance turn to the right.' Royal Australian Navy personnel assisted in recovering helicopter wreckage from the crash site. Credit: Supplied The report found Captain Lyon's action, taken while the aircraft was 'unrecoverable', likely prevented further loss of life. Cockpit audio captured a calm and focused exchange between Captain Lyon and Lieutenant Nugent just seconds before the crash. 'It's getting dicey,' Captain Lyon said five seconds into a left-hand turn through rain showers. Moments later, he told Lieutenant Nugent, 'I'll just get around the corner for you mate … while we're dealing with the rain shower.' As they climbed, Captain Lyon asked: 'Have you still got em?' referring to the aircraft ahead. Lieutenant Nugent replied, 'Yeah, still get em mate.' Royal Australian Navy Clearance Divers and Queensland Police Service during the recovery. Credit: Supplied Investigators believe this exchange marked the moment Captain Lyon lost visual contact with the Bushman 82 helicopter. He then began climbing through poor visibility and attempted quick manoeuvres to regain sight of the aircraft, rolling sharply right and then left. Neither Captain Lyon nor co-pilot Lieutenant Nugent appeared to notice a critical change in the aircraft's pitch, from nose-up to nose-down, as their helicopter climbed above the rest of the formation Unaware of the aircraft's downward attitude, Captain Lyon pitched down further, inadvertently pushing the aircraft into a fatal nose-down descent. In the final seconds before impact, Captain Lyon recognised that his plummeting helicopter, Bushman 83, was on a collision course with Bushman 82. Despite knowing his own chopper was unrecoverable, he took immediate evasive action, rolling sharply to the right in a final act that likely saved the lives of the four crew aboard Bushman 82. Bushman 83 hit the water at 10:36:25pm, travelling at 259km/h. The four men were killed instantly. Captain Lyon's last-second evasive manoeuvre likely saved four lives during the catastrophic Army helicopter crash in the Whitsundays. Credit: Supplied The DFSB noted that fatigue likely contributed to the spatial disorientation. Both Captain Lyon and Lieutenant Nugent had been sleeping in tents at Proserpine Airport in the days prior and waited inside the aircraft for two hours before takeoff. The investigation also assessed whether the TopOwl 5.10 helmet, criticised in test reports for its inverted pitch and roll displays when pilots turn their heads, contributed to the crash. The helmet was described by Army test pilots as a 'substantial risk of multiple deaths', but the DFSB found it was 'very unlikely' to have caused the disorientation in this instance. 'While both AATES and Standards Section test and evaluation reports agreed that there were deficiencies relating to attitude presentation, the two agencies disagreed on the severity of the hazard,' the report said. The report into the crash is one of the most complex aviation investigations conducted by Defence. Credit: NCA NewsWire The DFSB made 46 recommendations, including improvements to fatigue management, minimum night flying altitudes over water, and better training for spatial disorientation. The Defence Aviation Authority has accepted all recommendations. The report is one of the most complex aviation investigations conducted by Defence. Separate probes by the Inspector-General of the ADF, Comcare, and the Queensland coroner remain ongoing.
Sydney Morning Herald
21-05-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘It's getting dicey': Army helicopter pilot avoided further tragedy in final moments
A last-second evasive manoeuvre by an army pilot saved the lives of four other airmen, military air safety investigators say. The Defence Flight Safety Bureau found that Captain Danniel Lyon, who died along with three others in a July 2023 Taipan helicopter crash off Hamilton Island, managed to avoid a mid-air collision despite knowing his own aircraft was 'unrecoverable'. The bureau has blamed spatial disorientation for the crash, with Defence investigators also concluding it was unlikely a high-tech helmet used by the pilots for night-time flights contributed to the disaster despite the equipment's clear 'hazard'. 'It's getting dicey,' a cockpit voice recorder captured Lyon telling co-pilot Lieutenant Max Nugent five seconds into a left-hand turn in staggered formation with three other Taipan MHR-90 helicopters. Their aircraft, codenamed Bushman 83, had just flown into rain showers and Lyon had taken the controls from Nugent in response to the poor conditions at 10.33pm and 34 seconds. 'I'll just get around the corner for you mate … while we're dealing with the rain shower,' he told Nugent. Two and a half minutes after Lyon took the controls of Bushman 83, it climbed from 224 feet to a maximum of 362 feet in 14 seconds. Nine seconds into the climb, with the Taipan at 320 feet, Lyons says to Nugent: 'Have you still got 'em?' referring to Bushman 82, the aircraft flying ahead of them in the formation, to the right.
The Age
21-05-2025
- The Age
‘It's getting dicey': Army helicopter pilot avoided further tragedy in final moments
A last-second evasive manoeuvre by an army pilot saved the lives of four other airmen, military air safety investigators say. The Defence Flight Safety Bureau found that Captain Danniel Lyon, who died along with three others in a July 2023 Taipan helicopter crash off Hamilton Island, managed to avoid a mid-air collision despite knowing his own aircraft was 'unrecoverable'. The bureau has blamed spatial disorientation for the crash, with Defence investigators also concluding it was unlikely a high-tech helmet used by the pilots for night-time flights contributed to the disaster despite the equipment's clear 'hazard'. 'It's getting dicey,' a cockpit voice recorder captured Lyon telling co-pilot Lieutenant Max Nugent five seconds into a left-hand turn in staggered formation with three other Taipan MHR-90 helicopters. Their aircraft, codenamed Bushman 83, had just flown into rain showers and Lyon had taken the controls from Nugent in response to the poor conditions at 10.33pm and 34 seconds. 'I'll just get around the corner for you mate … while we're dealing with the rain shower,' he told Nugent. Two and a half minutes after Lyon took the controls of Bushman 83, it climbed from 224 feet to a maximum of 362 feet in 14 seconds. Nine seconds into the climb, with the Taipan at 320 feet, Lyons says to Nugent: 'Have you still got 'em?' referring to Bushman 82, the aircraft flying ahead of them in the formation, to the right.
