With about 2500 hrs on RAF Pumas I was shocked by this recording. I know journos pick things up from the site, but fact is fact and it doesn't look good here. However, press please take note because this is important. The audio "Low Height" is an adjustable setting, it can read 5 feet or up to 2000 feet. Therefore in this case you cannot say that they were 100% low low low flying from that alone. Its hard to tell, but the final seconds of the BBC recording made me shiver because Puma pilots are all aware of that Nr reducing sound during a fast approach. Even the best pilots have all experienced that rotor decaying sound at some time in their Puma career. Those of us still here are lucky, many peolple were not. Read past threads, the Puma bites!! Thank goodness that the Puma upgrade (different argument on sense of this) will address the engine response issues.
Whatever went on in the minutes or hours before is not what caused this aircraft to crash, although it doesn't help the crew reputation. Laughing, yahooing, whatever, the reason this aircraft crashed is how the approach to land was carried out. (The BBC says it was on approach)