The Aviation Safety Investigation Report into the MRH-90 Taipan helicopter accident that occurred during Exercise Talisman Sabre 23 was released on May 21, 2025, Australian Defence has announced.
The department said it was one of the most complex that it had conducted in recent history.
The investigation found that the primary cause of the accident, which occurred on July 28, 2023, was an “unrecognized loss of spatial orientation”, commonly referred to as “spatial disorientation.”
Spatial disorientation refers to a situation where a pilot is unaware of their actual orientation in relation to the earth’s surface and the surrounding environment.
The Defence Aviation Authority said it has accepted and will be actioning all of the report’s 46 recommendations, and has issued directions to assure these recommendations are completed.
The report identified 196 findings, indirect findings and observations, which informed 46 recommendations across the Defence Aviation Safety Program.
On July 28, 2023, an Australian Army MRH-90 Taipan helicopter, callsign Bushman 83, crashed into the water near Lindeman Island while conducting night-time training during Exercise Talisman Sabre. This tragedy resulted in the deaths of Captain Danniel Lyon, Lieutenant Maxwell Nugent, Warrant Officer Class Two Joseph Laycock, and Corporal Alexander Naggs.
In September 2023, almost two months after the tragic accident, Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles confirmed that the Australian Army’s MRH 90 Taipans would not fly again and would be replaced by UH-60M Black Hawks.
