MAYDAY

Helicopter Crew Missing After Joint U.S.-Australia Military Drill

The four-person crew ditched the aircraft into the waters near Hamilton Island in Queensland late Friday night.

U.S. and Australian military personnel are searching for the crew of a downed Australian helicopter after the aircraft executed a dangerous water landing during a joint exercise between the two countries. The helicopter made the water landing—known as ditching—near Hamilton Island in Queensland, located on Australia’s northeastern coast, late Friday night, The Washington Post reported. As a search commenced for the missing four-person crew, Australian officials said they paused the multinational training event which represents the largest such collaboration between U.S. and Australian forces. The helicopter model the missing troops were flying in, the MRH-90 Taipan, has been a headache for Australia’s military, experiencing several malfunctions and crashes.