Warrant Officer Lachlan Muddle was a 50-year-old veteran with decades of experience.
An Australian special forces soldier has been killed in a “mid-air collision” during a parachute training exercise at a Defence Force base in coastal New South Wales.
Warrant Officer Lachlan Muddle, 50, was killed on Monday night when he collided mid-air with a parachute instructor as his paratrooper regiment was involved in routine training at the Jervis Bay Airfield.
Addressing media on Tuesday, Major General Garth Gould said the men “collided several hundred feet above the ground as they were manoeuvring towards the drop zone”.
“After the collision, both soldiers fell from height. One soldier, a sergeant from the Australian Defence Force parachute school, survived the fall with minor injuries. A second soldier, Warrant Officer Lachlan Muddle, received fatal injuries as a result of the fall,” General Gould said.
“Warrant Officer Muddle was provided immediate first aid on the scene by Australian Defence Force medics who were later joined by NSW Ambulance who arrived on the scene very quickly.
“Both paratroopers were highly skilled. Between the two of them, they had several thousand jumps to their credit.”
When asked by reporters if he believed the ADF parachute training safety protocols were up to scratch, General Gould said he had “a high degree of confidence”.
“I do believe they are up to scratch and fit for purpose. I’ve got a high degree in confidence in our training system,” he said.
“You’re right to bring up the tragic accident that involved Lance Corporal Jack Fitzgibbon about two years ago. That matter involved a single paratrooper. It was investigated through a number of lines of inquiry. Some of those inquiries have concluded and provided recommendations, others are close to concluding.
“I am very confident in the safety system as a whole.”
General Gould also added that all parachute exercises across the Defence Force had been halted pending an internal investigation into Muddle’s death.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid tribute to Muddle, stating “our hearts go out to his Army family and the broader Defence community”.
“This tragic accident is a stark reminder that there are no easy days for those who defend our nation,” the Prime Minister said in a statement.
“We are in the debt of every Australian who serves and puts themselves on the line for all of us.
“May Warrant Officer Class Two Muddle live on in every heart he touched.”
Muddle joined the Army in 1994, and went on to serve in the elite Special Air Service Regiment in 2007.
Defence Minister Richard Marles said it was important to “let the investigation play out”.
“It does matter that we continue to train, and the skills of parachuting are fundamental to a range of occupations within the Defence Force, but for this moment we have paused parachuting within the ADF to understand as best we can what has happened here,” Marles said.
“It does appear as though the parachutes have become tangled … but the exact rate of descent, whether they landed together, are details which need to be investigated.
Marles said it was important to make sure any investigation into how Muddle’s death unfolded was “as thorough as possible”.
NSW Minister for Veterans Affairs David Harris said he extended his “deepest condolences” to Muddle’s family, loved ones and ADF colleagues.
“The loss of any service member is profoundly distressing, and this incident will be deeply felt across the Defence and veteran communities. ADF personnel undertake demanding and often hazardous training in preparation for service to our nation. That commitment reflects extraordinary professionalism, courage and dedication,” Harris said.
“While training is essential to operational readiness, any loss of life during these activities is devastating and warrants careful reflection.”
The death comes more than two years after former federal defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon’s son Jack was killed in a parachute incident at the Richmond RAAF base in Sydney’s northwest.
Sign up to Herald Premium Editor’s Picks, delivered straight to your inbox every Friday. Editor-in-Chief Murray Kirkness picks the week’s best features, interviews and investigations. Sign up for Herald Premium here.