The Canberra Times, Tuesday, February 5, 1985:
An RAF officer was seriously ill in hospital last night after an RAAF Chinook crashed into a dam on the Darling Downs in south-cast Queensland yesterday morning. Flight Lieutenant Charles Chubb was one of four in the aircraft when it hit powerlines and crashcd on to the spillway of the Perseverance Creek dam, about 40km north-east of Toowoomba, at 11.15am.
From No 12 squadron, Amberley, it was on a routine exercise in the Toowoomba-Crows Nest area when it went down.
An RAAF spokesman would not confirm that the Chinook had hit powerlines, but a South West Queensland Electricity Board spokesman said crews were repairing three 3,300-volt powerlines brought down by a helicopter.
Right Lieutenant Chubb, who had been in Australia on ex change for about 12 months, flying Chinooks, was taken by another helicopter from the
nearby Army Aviation Centre at Oakey to Toowoomba General Hospital, where he underwent surgery.
He is married, and has four children.
The other three airmen who survived the crash, all from Ipswich, were Right Lieutenant Grant Frost, 25, of Ipswich, Warrant Officer Barry Bircham, 38, and Flight Sergeant Michael Attridge, 29. They had minor injuries and were taken to hospital by ambulance.
An RAAF court of inquiry would be held and an on-site inspection would be made before the wrecked helicopter was removed from the dam.
Army and air force police were guarding the wreckage last night. Investigators from the direc torate of air force safety in Canberra were expected to arrive at the crash site this morning.
Charlie was my friend.