Defence confirms 'helicopter incident' on Jervis Bay

In a statement, Defence has told the Register an incident occurred on Wednesday evening (March 22).

"Defence can confirm a helicopter incident occurred near Jervis Bay, New South Wales on the evening of 22 March 2023," the statement read.

"All Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel on board have been safely recovered from the water.

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"At this time Defence's priority is supporting the ADF members involved in the incident and their families."

Paramedics were called to College Rd in Jervis Bay Village about 9am, to assess the nine patients for minor injuries.

However, the paramedics were ultimately not required.

The MRH-90 Taipan multi-role helicopters have previously been plagued with safety concerns about "major risks and issues" affecting its reliability and capability, a parliamentary report found in 2020.

In 2021, the Navy's 808 Squadron MRH-90 Taipan helicopters were temporarily grounded due to IT maintenance issues.

Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Simon Stuart quick responses from ADF personnel and emergency services and well-drilled teams prevented a potential tragedy.

"We will conduct a thorough investigation into this incident to determine the cause and ensure the platform remains safe to operate," he said.

As a precaution, Defence has temporarily paused the training activity and will ground the MRH-90 Taipan fleet while the cause of the incident is investigated.

The incident site is being contained by Australian Federal Police and port services personnel.

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