7 Killed As British Navy Copters Collide

[gulf_slf]

Our thoughts and condolences go the families of those invloved

They died in the line of duty and serving their country.


SKY NEWS ITEM
NAVY HELICOPTERS CRASH

Seven crew members are missing, feared dead, after two Royal Navy Sea King Airborne Early Warning helicopters collided in mid-air over international waters in the Gulf today.


British forces spokesman Group Captain Al Lockwood told Sky News the helicopters hit each other and did not crash as a result of enemy activity.

"It happened in the early hours," he said. "A search is underway for the missing crew.

"A total of seven people were on board and no survivors have been found as yet," he said.

"But we are doing our utmost to establish very, very quickly what the implications could be and what caused the accident itself."

He added: "The most important thing at this moment is with notifying next of kin of the casualties."

The exact location of the crash has not been disclosed.

Eight British soldiers and four US marines were killed in a helicopter crash in Kuwait on Friday.

[inthegreen]

Sorry to hear it. It seems our boys in the conflict have been harder on themselves than the enemy. "May they have been in heaven thirty minutes before the devil knew they were gone."


Yahoo news link (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=540&e=1&u=/ap/20030322/ap_on_re_mi_ea/war_helicopter_collision)

[gulf_slf]

Understand that the Sea Kings are from RNAS Culdrose 849 Sqdn.
A very sad day for all in Helston and connected with the squadron!

[Heliport]

BBC report Two British helicopters from the aircraft carrier Ark Royal have collided in mid-air in the Gulf, killing all six British servicemen and a US officer on board.
The Ark Royal's Captain Alan Massey said the deaths were caused by a "tragic accident", five miles from the Royal Navy's flagship. He paid tribute to the "extremely professional" crew members killed and said: "As you can imagine the loss is being felt very intensely".

The Sea King Airborne Early Warning aircraft crashed at around 4.15am local time (1.15 GMT) and the Royal Navy has launched an investigation into the cause of the accident. One of the helicopters had been going out on a surveillance mission from the Ark Royal, while the other was returning from the same operation.

The incident happened a day after eight UK commandos and four US marines died in a Chinook helicopter crash in northern Kuwait. The collision happened over international waters in the Gulf on Saturday, UK Central Command in Qatar said.

The seven deaths were confirmed by a British military spokesman. He said: "The incident was not the result of enemy action. "Further details will be released as soon as possible after next of kin have been informed."
A rescue operation was launched within minutes of the crash. The minesweepers HMS Brocklesby and USS Dextrous searched for survivors and were also told to salvage the aircraft and its black boxes and weapons.
Captain Massey said the thoughts of everyone on board the Ark Royal were with the families of those killed. "The helicopters were based in a squadron that has its home in Culdrose naval air station in Cornwall," he said. "The shock will be enormous back there."
Despite the deaths, Captain Massey said the ship's work would continue and that members of the same squadron had already been sent out.

Sea King AEW
Brought into service after the Falklands conflict
Can detect low flying aircraft trying to attack surface ships
Maximum speed of 125 knots
Operated by a crew of three - one pilot and two observers
They are used to protect aircraft carriers

"I know that what they would have said to us now that there is a mission to do...we have Marines on the ground who need our support," said Captain Massey. "What they would have wanted above all else is that we crack on and get this job done."
He denied suggestions that procedures may have been ignored and said the helicopters had been operating to "peacetime safety" levels, with maintenance, training and sleeping patterns followed properly. "The last thing I can do in wartime is to allow vital aircraft and irreplaceable air crew to be lost at exactly the moment when I need them most," Captain Massey said.

The helicopters had been providing surveillance for missions involving British Royal Marines. Group Captain Al Lockwood told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Certainly there must have been extenuating circumstances and our investigators are into the process of trying to establish the facts" he said.

MoD Helpline Numbers
Royal Navy and Royal Marines - 08457 414544
Army personnel - 01980 615500
RAF personnel - 01452 712612 ext 7080 or 7045

"There is a lot of air activity. However, we do have very careful plans and procedures to ensure we have separation of all of the aircraft being used." Appearing to rule out mechanical failure, he added: "All coalition aircraft are maintained to the highest of standards".
Former Navy serviceman Michael McGinty, from the Royal United Services Institute, told BBC News the helicopters would probably be of the type known as "junglies". "Helicopter crashes are rare but unfortunately they are more likely to happen in war," he said.

Click http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/data/gallery/thumb/988212018t.jpg (http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/static/pages/2006.html) for more information about the Royal Navy Sea King.

[Dave Jackson]

Thoughts and condolences go to the families of all those who have died, or are about to die; irrespective of whether they are the aggressor or the aggrieved.

[jungly]

Speculation and rumour concerning matters as tradgic as this help no one.
Who the hell is Micheal McGinty of the Royal United Services Institute?
These were NOT 'junglie' Sea Kings. Wrong mate! Wrong aircraft, wrong air station, wrong squadrons.
There are junglie squadrons in the gulf and thanks to uneducated comments like yours I got several phone calls from distraught members of the junglie fraternity/family.
If you dont know the facts keep your trap shut you prat.

To the 'bagger' communtity and all personnel on 'the Ark', our condolences and respect.

"Fear God Honour the King"