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‘Pull up, pull up’: Defence crew saw helicopter nose-dive before hitting water at rapid speed
By Cloe Read
Aircrew who saw a fellow Australian Defence Force helicopter moments before it nose-dived at rapid speed towards water off the Queensland coast, killing four personnel, tried to radio emergency directives to help their colleagues, an inquiry has heard.
Captain Danniel Lyon, Lieutenant Maxwell Nugent, Warrant Officer Class Two Joseph Laycock and Corporal Alexander Naggs died last year when their MRH-90 Taipan helicopter crashed off the Queensland coast near Lindeman Island in the Whitsundays.
All four were members of the 6th Aviation Regiment based in Holsworthy in Sydney.
Bushman 83’s aircrew, from left, Joseph (Phil) Laycock, Alexander Naggs, Danniel Lyon, Max Nugent
The crash happened during Exercise Talisman Sabre, a joint military exercise between Australia and the United States.
The deaths were considered Australia’s worst peacetime military accident in almost 20 years, and prompted Defence Minister Richard Marles to announce Australia’s fleet of 47 Taipans – which were scheduled to be withdrawn from the ADF in December 2024 – would not return to flying operations. Defence would instead use US Black Hawk helicopters.
In October, the ADF’s Inspector-General, James Gaynor CSC, announced an independent inquiry to examine the circumstances of the crash and how the men died, and whether any policies, or non-compliance with policies, were contributing factors.
The inquiry is being led by former judge and Queensland Court of Appeal president Margaret McMurdo AC.
In the first public hearing held in Brisbane on Tuesday, Colonel Jens Strait, acting as counsel assisting, told the inquiry of the events leading up to the crash.
He said the crew had flown from Sydney to Proserpine Airport for the military exercise, which is conducted every two years.
An Australian Army MRH-90 Taipan in Queensland, before the fleet was grounded in September.
Lyon, Nugent, Laycock and Naggs were flying in their MRH-90 Taipan under the call sign Bushman 83. As part of the exercise, they were joined by three other aircraft under call signs Bushman 81, Bushman 82 and Bushman 84.
Strait told the inquiry the crew were flying about 10pm on July 28 and were scheduled to pick up other ADF personnel from Lindeman Island.
The four crews were also assisted by a US aircraft for surveillance and weather information.
Decisions had been made earlier that afternoon that determined Captain Lyon would pilot Bushman 83, Strait said. However, he said information before the inquiry “does not at this stage identify who was the flying pilot of Bushman 83”.
“Investigation into that issue is ongoing,” Strait said.
He said Bushman 84 saw 83 climb to a height above the other aircraft, “before it was observed to suddenly pitch nose down and descend rapidly toward the water”.
“I anticipate the evidence is likely to show the air mission ‘commander, who was in Bushman 84, call to Bushman 83 over the radio words to the effect ‘83, pull up, pull up, pull up’, before the aircrew of Bushman 84 witnessed Bushman 83 impact the water at high speed.”
Strait said Bushman 84 started the search and rescue operation immediately, and the crew were directed to look for survivors in the water. Bushman 81 and 82 landed on Lindeman Island to conserve fuel and then later to refuel before taking over the search at the crash site.
The search, including civilian vessels and other aircraft, continued into the early hours of the morning, Strait said.
“Tragically no survivors were located,” he said.
The inquiry is expected to hear from three witnesses on Tuesday.