4 crew members on Australian army helicopter that crashed off coast didn’t survive, officials say

By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Officials say the Australian army helicopter that crashed during a multinational exercise hit the water with a “catastrophic impact” and there is no chance its four crew members survived. Defense Minister Richard Marles said the search and rescue effort since Friday’s crash changed to a victim recovery operation Monday. The MRH-90 Taipan helicopter was involved in a nighttime exercise with the U.S. and other countries when it crashed near the Whitsunday Islands. There are doubts Australia will fly its Taipan helicopters again. The rest of the fleet will be grounded until investigators determine what caused the crash. Australia already advanced the retirement of its Taipans to December 2024 to replace them with U.S. Black Hawks.