The Royal New Zealand Air Force has paused flying its NH90 helicopters for 48 hours from yesterday morning as it does a risk assessment following the crash of the same aircraft in Queensland last Friday.
An MRH90 Taipan chopper crashed off the north Queensland coast during the multinational Exercise Talisman Sabre.
The MRH90 and NH90s are the same aircraft type.
Air Vice-Marshal Andrew Clark, chief of the RNZAF, said the pause on flying of the eight New Zealand NH90 helicopters was a precautionary approach. It will be reassessed tomorrow.
“While the RNZAF has no current reason to believe our NH90s are not safe to fly, as a precautionary approach we decided to pause our flying for 48 hours to carry out a risk assessment. At the end of that time, we will make a decision whether to resume flying or not.”
He said the operational pause was not a “grounding”, which was a formal declaration by regulators that an aircraft type cannot fly.
If an extreme situation occurred with a real and immediate risk to life, the NH90s may be flown, Clark said.
The helicopters are based at Ohakea. Three are currently deployed on Exercise Talisman Sabre but were not involved in Friday's crash.
Chopper victims remembered
The family and friends of four army personnel who died in a helicopter crash during military exercises have delivered emotional tributes as the search continues for their lost loved-ones.
Captain Danniel Lyon, Lieutenant Maxwell Nugent, Warrant Officer Class Two Joseph Laycock and Corporal Alexander Naggs are all missing and presumed dead after their helicopter hit the water off Hamilton Island.
The family of 24-year-old Nugent, from Sydney's north, remembered him as a larrikin who got to live his dream of flying with the army.
"Max was tough - if somebody told him he couldn't do something, he took it as a challenge and persisted with unshakable determination until he had proved them wrong," they said in a statement.
Laycock's parents said his two loves in life were his military career and his three sons.
"Outside of his army career, Phillip was a devoted father and enthusiastic mountain biker," they said.
"We are immensely proud of the high esteem in which he was held by his mates and superiors."
Lyon was remembered as a beloved husband, devoted father of two and great mate.
"Danniel's smile could brighten even the darkest days," his family said.
"His light shone so brightly we cannot imagine a world without it."
Naggs was described as "an inspiration to his family and those around him" by his partner, who added that everyone was heartbroken to lose him so soon.
While much of the aircraft including major sections of the fuselage have been recovered, a significant multinational operation remains underway to locate the bodies of the missing airmen.
Joint operations chief Lieutenant General Greg Bilton said the defence force's focus remained on "bringing our people home to their families and supporting the defence family through this difficult period".
In an emotional speech to federal parliament, Queensland MP and Afghanistan veteran Phillip Thompson said he had the honour of serving with Cpl Naggs and described him as "the nicest, kindest person I've ever met".
"Someone that was just there, listening, would talk to everyone," he said.
The tributes come as the government works on a replacement fleet for the troubled Taipan helicopters.
The crash was the second incident involving a Taipan helicopter this year after another of the aircraft ditched into the water off the NSW south coast in March during a training exercise.
SHARE ME