Organisations whose staff regularly travel in helicopters over water are urged to consider helicopter underwater escape training, after an R44 rolled after ditching with a pilot and two government employees on board in the Torres Strait last October.
On the morning of 8 October 2025, the Robinson R44 was being operated by GBR Helicopters on a flight from Thursday Island (Waiben) to Coconut Island (Poruma), north of Queensland’s Cape York Peninsula, an ATSB final report explains.
The two passengers on board were travelling to Coconut Island to conduct work related to their employment with the Queensland Department of Education.
While about 600 ft above sea level, the low rotor RPM horn sounded, and the pilot immediately lowered the collective and entered autorotation, before deploying the emergency pop-out floats and instructing the passengers to brace for ditching.
The helicopter then landed on the water and immediately began to roll onto its left side, as the left side float detached from the helicopter’s skid tube.
The pilot and rear seat passenger egressed from the right door, above the waterline, but the front left passenger egressed from the left door, which was underwater.
While all occupants were able to escape, the ATSB’s investigation found the passengers were not trained in helicopter underwater escape training (HUET), despite regularly travelling over water for their work.
“HUET is a regulatory requirement for helicopter pilots conducting overwater flight, but not for regular passengers on such flights,” ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said.
“Other organisations whose employees regularly travel over water in helicopters have arranged HUET for these employees, but this was not the case in this accident.”
Both passengers reported fumbling and feeling panicked as the helicopter became submerged – symptoms commonly reported in helicopter ditching and rollover scenarios.
“HUET familiarises individuals with a ditching environment and provide them with confidence in their ability to cope with the emergency situation,” Mr Mitchell said.
“Organisations whose employees regularly travel over water in helicopters are therefore urged to consider the potential life-saving benefits of this training for their employees.”
The cause of the engine power loss could not be determined, as the helicopter sank after the accident and could not be recovered.
But the ATSB made several findings relating to accident survivability, further detailed in the final report.
The final report also notes that the pilot made a MAYDAY call before the ditching, and this was heard by the pilot of another helicopter in the area, who diverted to the accident location. The ditching triggered the helicopter’s emergency locator transmitter (ELT), which was received by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, who initiated a rescue response.
“The accident highlighted the importance of an effective MAYDAY transmission,” Mr Mitchell said.
“But situations requiring a MAYDAY call are often intense and time-limited, and calculation of an accurate position can be difficult – so the role of the ELT is vital in these types of accidents.”
Finally, while it did not contribute to this occurrence, the ATSB also identified GBR Helicopters did not provide pilots with a personal locator beacon for overwater flights, reducing post-impact survivability in a ditching event.
The operator has subsequently supplied its local pilots with transmitters, as well as sea dye, to be placed in their lifejackets and assist with an in-water rescue.
Read the final report here: Power loss and ditching involving Robinson R44, VH-XSO, 24 km north-east of Horn Island Airport, Queensland, on 8 October 2025