The Defence Flight Safety Bureau (DFSB) has released a report into the crash finding the aircraft was operating normally, with no malfunctions or pre-existing damage.

It concluded the pilots likely experienced a “loss of spatial orientation” during the training exercise and that the aircraft underwent an “inadvertent and unrecognised climb” before it crashed into the ocean off the coast of Lindeman Island, Queensland in July 2023.

Captain Danniel Lyon, Lieutenant Max Nugent, Warrant Officer Class Two Joseph ‘Phillip’ Laycock and Corporal Alexander Naggs were killed in the crash.

The investigation also considered the helmet display system used by MRH-90 pilots, known as ‘TopOwl’, but concluded it was “very unlikely” to have contributed to the loss of spatial orientation but that they were operating under challenging weather conditions, including rain showers.

A separate independent inquiry ordered by the Inspector-General of the ADF is also currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash and is expected to deliver its findings at the end of the year.