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GPS error 'blamed
for Black Hawk crash'
July 10, 2007
THE co-pilot of a Black Hawk helicopter believes a GPS
error was responsible for a crash which killed two people last November.
The co-pilot, named only as Captain 7,
sat beside pilot Captain Mark Bingley, who was flying the aircraft when it crashed on November 29 last year.
Captain
Bingley and Special Air Service Trooper Joshua Porter, a passenger on the helicopter, died in the crash.
Giving
evidence today at a defence inquiry into the crash, Captain 7 said he did not think the aircraft was flying too fast on its
approach to the ship, contrary to the suggestion of a witness who gave evidence yesterday.
“If the aircraft
was too fast I would call, 'Go around,”' Captain 7 said.
“I believe the GPS mark was in error.
“I believe that the GPS waypoint was not where we were flying to. When I called a particular distance and air
speed we were within the window but were actually closer to the termination point.”
Captain 7 told the inquiry
he thought the helicopter would keep flying after hitting the ship's deck.
“When we initially hit I did
think that we were going to keep flying,” he said.
“It did feel like a very firm landing but I did
initially think we would keep flying.”
Captain 7 freed himself from the Black Hawk as it sank, following
procedures learnt during Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (HUWET).
Black Hawk A25-221 carried four crew and
six passengers the day it crashed on the deck of HMAS Kanimbla, which was stationary off Fiji at the time.
Source:
THE AUSTRALIAN
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