Above image: Using Kadavu as a baseline, the 12 Nautical Miles radius from the center is still Fiji territorial waters (using the U.N Law of the Seas).
(Above Image: The general area of the Black Hawk wreckage. The radius of the circle is 37 Nautical-Miles, with the centre of the circle being Vatulele).
Fiji Times article reports that, a recovery operation for the downed Australian Black Hawk may need the expertise of the U.S Navy. Without a doubt, whoever is tasked with recovering the wreckage, they will have to seek approval of the interim Fiji Government. To remove the wreckage of the helicopter believed to be located at 37 Nautical-Miles south of Vatulele; but well within Fiji's 200 mile economic exclusion zone, a fact confirmed by the Naval Commander, Francis Kean in an article by the Fiji Times. Commander Kean's assumption in that particular article by Fiji Times, has begged the question; whether a vessel being within the 200 mile exclusive zone, constitutes being within Fiji's territorial waters. A clarification requires the inspection of the U.N Convention on the Law of the Seas.
This is the excerpt of Fiji Naval Commander's brief:
Navy denies crash occurred in Fiji waters
Friday, December 01, 2006
(Above image: The deck of the Australian naval vessel HMAS Kanimbla from where the Blackhawk helicopter plunged into the sea on Wednesday).
The Australian Blackhawk helicopter crash which claimed the life of an Australian naval officer did not happen in our waters, said the Fiji Navy.
Naval Commander Francis Kean confirmed this but said it was inside our Exclusive Economic Zone. The helicopter went down about 37 nautical miles south of Vatulele.
The Australian Department of Defence said the helicopter was conducting a training flight when it crashed.
There were 10 personnel on board and one of them died, seven sustained minor injuries, one sustained no injuries while a search is on for a missing officer. The helicopter was trying to land on the HMAS Kanimbla which was on standby to rescue Australians in the event of a coup in Fiji when it crashed into the ship's deck and plunged into the sea with the 10 on board.
The HMAS Kanimbla, HMAS Newcastle and HMAS Success have been in South West Pacific waters for the past two weeks in case they are needed to evacuate Australian nationals if there is a coup.
Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston said the cause of the crash might never be established because the helicopter was lost in 2000 to 3000 metres of water.
The location featured in the official debrief on the Australian Department of Defense website was ambiguous in detailing exactly where the Black Hawk crashed.
This is the excerpt of the ADD debrief:
BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER LOST NEAR FIJI
Questions and Answers
Wednesday 29 November 2006
How many personnel were involved and what is their condition?
There were 10 personnel on board the Black Hawk.
* 1 died of injuries.
* 1 missing.
* 7 have minor injuries.
* 1 sustained no injuries in the incident.
What is the progress with the search for the missing person?
A Seahawk helicopter from HMAS Newcastle is conducting a search for the missing person.
Who was involved?
There were two pilots, two loadmasters and six personnel on board the aircraft. All were Army personnel.
The soldiers were part of the security element of the forces embarked to provide support to Australian citizens in Fiji if required.
Have the Next of Kin (NOK) been informed?
The NOK of the deceased and missing members have been advised.
How did it happen?
Defence will not comment further on how the accident occurred until a preliminary investigation has been completed. There is no indication at this stage how long this may take.
Where did it happen?
In the South West Pacific near Fiji.
What were they doing at the time?
The helicopter was conducting a training flight. I do not have more detail on the activity at this time.
What training do your people do to deal with incidents like these?
Personnel involved in maritime helicopter operations conduct helicopter underwater escape training.
What safety equipment were the embarked forces using?
Personnel operating over water wear a reserve-flotation device and aircrew have a mission-specific ensemble that includes a flotation device and reserve air supply.
Will the Black Hawk be recovered?
A decision is yet to be made however, the water is estimated as being up to 3000 metres deep where the incident occurred.
Were Special Forces involved in the incident?
There were six Special Air Service Regiment personnel on the aircraft.
Will an investigation into the accident take place?
Yes. The ADF has already commenced preliminary inquiry. A full inquiry will be conducted in due course.
Why were they conducting a training flight?
The embarked elements conduct training to ensure that are ready to act at short notice. This activity was part of routine training.
MEDICAL
What is the condition of the injured?
The seven personnel have non life-threatening injuries including cuts, abrasions and some fractures.
What medical evacuation assets have been tasked?
There is a medical facility on board HMAS Kanimbla.
A critical incident stress management team will also be deployed as soon as possible.
REPATRIATION
Will the ADF evacuate the casualties?
The deceased and injured personnel who require evacuation will be transferred to HMAS Newcastle and move to Noumea . Repatriation will then occur from Noumea by RAAF aircraft. Final arrangements are yet to be confirmed.
FIJI
What does this mean for the mission?
The elements that we have deployed retain the capability to support Australian citizens in Fiji if required.
This incident will have an initial effect as the ADF conduct the search for our missing person and commence investigation into this incident. The ADF however, will remain focussed on the mission and will be able to provide support to Australian citizens in Fiji if required.
Additional assets will soon be dispatched to assist with critical incident management and investigation.
BLACK HAWKS
Has the Black Hawk fleet been grounded?
No. At this stage there is no reason to ground the ADF's Black Hawk fleet.
Why was an Army helicopter on a Navy ship?
The Black Hawks are part of the Army detachment that is embarked on HMAS Kanimbla to provide support to Australian citizens in Fiji if required.
HMAS Kanimbla is capable of supporting Black Hawk and Sea King helicopters. In this case 4 Black Hawks were embarked.
In a follow up to an earlier post titled "State of Origin" in S.i.F.M that, featured the reoccurring crashes of the Black Hawk in a combat or non-combat situations, as well the law suit involving the Helicopter's manufacturer-Sikorsky Aircraft, in matters relating to quality assurance; raising more questions than answers on the reliability of the Black Hawk helicopter.
ABC podcast interviews the widow of Captain Mark Bingley, the pilot for the ill fated Black Hawk. Although, the family of the victims deserve an honest ans transparent answer into the root causes of the many mechanical faults; apparently the official explanations of this crash has not provided this closure to the family of victims, due to the hush-hush nature of the repeated failures that had been plaguing this Black Hawk, since its inception into service.
Youtube video captures the many Black Helicopters operating under the Australian banner.
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