News of the deaths of four young Australian servicemen during training exercises in bad weather in a Taipan helicopter crash in Queensland in 2023 shocked Australians. Investigations into the nature and causes of this crash are being undertaken by four separate bodies. The immediate abandonment of the Taipan helicopter by the army proved an instinctively correct identification of the cause with no crashes since. With participating international partners refusing to undertake exercises in such bad weather, the commander ordering the men into the helicopter should be the next most likely target of any unbiased inquiry. Comedian Jim Jefferies is right to cast doubt on a bureaucratic defence department cowardly blaming a young pilot who is not here to defend himself (“Comedian’s cover up claim”, DT, 26/8). Making judgments by looking retrospectively is often flawed. Hopefully the young families of these fallen heroes are compensated. I now expect those committee members blaming only the pilot for this accident to use the “safe” Taipan helicopters for their travel around the state. Alan Sexton, North Parramatta 27Aug2025