Schiebel S-100 Camcopter crash caused Beecroft Weapons Range fire

A $1 million unmanned aerial system (camcopter) which crashed on the Beecroft Weapons Range is still to be recovered from its fiery crash site.

The Schiebel S-100 Camcopter experienced a control failure while conducting flying conversion training for navy personnel at the range near Currarong east of Nowra around 9.54am on Monday.

The aircraft was forced to make what defence called a “hard” crash landing, sparking a small bushfire, which burnt out two hectares of heathland.

Defence said despite personnel initiating procedures in an attempt to recover the aircraft it crash landed in unpopulated bushland.

The South Coast Register was told mid morning on Wednesday, by a defence spokesperson, the aircraft had been recovered either “late Monday evening or early Tuesday morning”.

However, a call from Commander Fleet Air Arm, Commodore Chris Smallhorn around 3.30pm Wednesday confirmed the aircraft had in fact not been recovered and was “unlikely to be recovered until possibly next week”, because it was in the middle of an area of unexploded ordnance on the weapons range.

“We had a Seahawk fly over the area on Monday and take aerial imagery for the investigation team and the ordnance team who will clear a path to the aircraft,” Commodore Smallhorn said.

“An explosive ordnance team will be needed for personnel to gain safe access to the crash site and that might not happen until sometime next week. It won't be until that work is carried out that we will gain access to the site.

“I suppose the good thing about the aircraft coming down in an active weapons range is if we can't get to it, no one else can.”

CDRE Smallhorn confirmed the aircraft was worth about $1 million and had been taking part in further flight trials and testing when the accident happened.

“Unfortunately, sometimes these things happen,” he said.

“But the aircraft is still the property of the contractors, so it is not coming at a cost to the Commonwealth.”