Latest news with #DFSB
News.com.au
21-05-2025
- General
- News.com.au
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.
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.
9 News
21-05-2025
- 9 News
'It's getting dicey': The final fatal seconds of a military aviation disaster
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here A last second evasive manoeuvre by an Army pilot saved the lives of four other airmen, according to military air safety investigators. 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 DFSB has blamed spatial disorientation for the fatal Army helicopter crash, with Defence investigators also concluding it was "unlikely" a hi-tech helmet used by the pilots for night-time flights contributed to the disaster despite the equipment's clear "hazard". "It's getting dicey," Captain Lyon is recorded telling co-pilot Lieutenant Max Nugent in the cockpit voice recorder, five seconds into a left-hand turn in staggered formation with three other Taipan MHR-90 helicopters. Their chopper, 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 tells Nugent. Corporal Alex Naggs, Captain Danniel Lyon, Lieutenant Max Nugent and Warrant Officer Phil Laycock (L-R) died in the crash. (60 Minutes) At 10:36:04, two and a half minutes after Lyon took the controls of Bushman 83, it started to climb, from 224ft to a maximum of 362ft, 14 seconds later. Nine seconds into the climb, with the Taipan at 320ft, 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. Nugent replies calmly: "Yeah, still get em mate." DFSB investigators believe it was at this point that Lyon lost sight of Bushman 82. He quickly rolled the aircraft 31 degrees right before quickly rolling back left 8 degrees to establish a visual of the other aircraft. File image: The MRH-90 Taipan was flying in formation with three others when it crashed into the ocean during an exercise. (AP) (Supplied) Neither Lyons nor Nugent appeared to have noticed that during the climb, the orientation of aircraft shifted from 5 degrees nose up to 5 degrees nose down – a 10 degrees shift. At 10:36:19, Bushman 83 reached the top of its climb, now much higher than the three other helicopters in the formation. It is six seconds from disaster. Unaware that the pitch attitude had shifted from nose up to nose down, Lyon used the controls to pitch down, exacerbating the so-called "pushover". The aircraft went into a quickening descent, hitting the water at 10:36:25 – 21 seconds after it began to climb. When it hit to water it was travelling at 259kmh. Lyon, Nugent and aircrew Warrant Officer Phil Laycock and Corporal Alex Naggs were killed instantly. The DFSB report found that in the split seconds before the crash, when the aircraft was in its fatal plunge, Lyon realised Bushman 83 was at risk of crashing into Bushman 82 and took immediate diversionary steps, rolling the aircraft to the right. The wreckage the Taipan is removed from waters in the Whitsundays after the crash last year. (9News) "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 DFSB report says. "In response to this increasing closure, it is likely (Lyon) acted to avoid a potential mid-air collision with BSMN 82 by executing an avoidance turn to the right." Lyon's actions in these last seconds, when his own aircraft was "not recoverable", likely saved the lives of the four airmen in Bushman 82. Since the July 2023 crash there has been much focus on the hi-tech TopOwl helmets used by the pilots that night. The latest software upgrade for the TopOwl, HMSD v5.10, was found to carry significant risks, according to an experienced test pilot with the Army Aviation Test and Evaluation Section (AATES). The test pilots found that the helmet was a "substantial risk of multiple deaths" and an "unacceptable risk to flight safety" because when pilots looks to the left or the right, the pitch and roll displays inverted. Despite this stark warning, TopOwl 5.0 was put into service when Army Aviation conducted its own tests in benign conditions, finding it safe to deploy. DFSB confirmed that TopOwl had its problems but said it was likely not responsible for Lyon becoming spatially disoriented. "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," DFSB said. "Regardless, the investigation determined that it was very unlikely the known hazards relating to the HMSD v5.10 contributed to the loss of Spatial Orientation. This conclusion was based on the Line of Sight of the BSMN 83 pilots, which was slightly offset from the aircraft's longitudinal axis, and that the pilots were likely looking 'through' the HMSD symbology to maintain attentional focus on BSMN 82." CONTACT US
