R.I.P......




Black Hawk crash footage released

    * June 18, 2007

AN inquiry into an army Black Hawk helicopter crash last year which killed two defence personnel has released dramatic video footage of the moment it crashes onto the deck of HMAS Kanimbla

Black Hawk A25-221 plunged into the sea as it tried to land on HMAS Kanimbla on November 29.
On board were four crew members and six passengers.

Nine of the 10 were rescued before the Black Hawk sank but the pilot, Captain Mark Bingley, later died of his injuries.

In March this year, the helicopter wreckage and body of Special Air Service Trooper Joshua Porter were recovered from the sea floor at a depth of almost 3km.
The inquiry, at Sydney's Randwick Barracks, was today shown video filmed by a trooper sitting in the back of the helicopter as well as CCTV footage from the deck of the ship. Both versions showed the helicopter hitting HMAS Kanimbla.
The family of Trooper Porter, including his widow Carinna and one-month-old daughter Madison, along with the family of Capt Bingley, also watched video footage of the salvage operation of the Black Hawk from the ocean floor.
This afternoon, the inquiry released the footage taken from HMAS Kanimbla and video of the underwater salvage.
The inquiry, being conducted by retired NSW Supreme Court Justice David Levine QC, was told the landing should not have been attempted in the weather conditions that day.
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 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 sank.
The inquiry continues.

Da ,i to zato sto nisu imali modifikovanu verziju helikoptera sa bezbednosnim kontramerama.Pa dobro odlika dobre vojske je "Train Hard ,easy war" .

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