Bumped into DC whilst on Flight Safety course at Yeovilton over the summer, and remember discussing with him over a cup of tea "what it all means" (those of you who have been in that hangar will know what it means ), the job we do, the element of risk involved in every flight we make. The conversation got round to whether we'd swap it in for a desk job, the 9-to-5, the routine, and so on. After i'd finished bleating about the endless paperwork, the nause, niff naff and trivia, he simply said:

"but getting up there, doing what we do, makes it all worthwhile, doesn't it? Wouldn't swap it for anything, really, would you?"

No, mate, i wouldn't.

Never a truer word spoken.

RIP

Rob rest easy mate.
My thoughts are with your family and also with the families of your crewmates.

Rest in peace jamie mate

Thoughts to all families at this terrible time.

Very respectful and nice memorial service held at BRNC for all the lost. Very moving and attended by the aircrew at the College who had the privledge of knowing those that perished. The Aviators verse of the Naval Hymn was sung and a candle burns bright on the altar and will continue to do so for the rest of term.

A fitting tribute to those starting a journey to peace and happiness. I have never seen the College Chapel so full.

RIP our thoughts as ever, are with you and your families.

Very sad. My commiserations to all the relatives of these special people who cheerfully put their lives on the line for others.

Another sad loss... Rest In Peace Guys

Sincere condolences to families and friends

SC

Has anybody heard of plans for a memorial service at the FAA church??

Out of the aviation world at the minute so would appreciate any info.

Cobaltfrog, great to hear the college has had such a moving service.

RIP

All my thoughts with the families of the boys; we will all be thinking of you over Christmas.
I'd known Rob for years, since Cranwell and through the "Tiger" flight years at Linton and onwards. He was simply one of the nicest men you could hope to meet and I am proud that he was my mate.
I would give anything for another 5 minutes with him and this time I'd make sure to tell him how much he meant to me.

Take it easy matey.


RIP all the boys

God bless

I was very sorry to hear of this tragic news. Amazing how these incidents echo around the world. My thoughts are with the families of all involved and to the friends and colleagues of Rob. He was a fine Tiger cub, and a truly decent fellow!
RIP mate.

Ive lost count of the times Ive heard and thought that.
Everyone out there who is flying today, look around you, and if you look at someone that makes you think of the quote above, then tell them now, do it today. DO NOT wait until its a regret.

RIP guys

so, so, so sorry. i am at a total loss for words. may God be with the families of the aircrew at this deeply difficult time. God bless their souls.

RIP

I had the pleasure of sharing a flat With Rob Dunn during university, and also the pleasure of many a blurry night in the ELUAS THQ with many other like minded souls (names witheld to protect the innocent, you know who you are!)

Rob will be sorely missed, he was a true gentleman and a scholar (so thats what we were supposed to be doing at uni) and my condolences go out to his family, Fi, the families of the rest of the crew and anyone who knew them who are also feeling their loss.

Words don't really convey how much of a loss to us all this is, so I'll keep it simple. Miss you Rob, rest in peace.


Andy, the tall irish muppet who was lucky enough to call you a friend.

Andy,

I remember you well (you still sporting the ponytail?)
Sad news indeed

Have been checking the site over the last couple of days and there have been so many tributes and words of condolence it is a measure of how much the boys were thought of by us all. Just PM' d dancing bear about his request for info on the funerals. Anyone wanting to attend and needing these details pse PM me and I will pass them on.

Sad time, but unimaginable for the families.

Hope to see you there to help ease their burden.

****..... :(

Just got back from being away and found that the crew has been named.

I knew Rob from his ELUAS days (although I was a Lion!). A fine chap with time for anyone and a pint. Another good bloke is lost.....

My thoughts are with the family and friends of all of the crew. It is at times like this that the Tri Service Family comes into it's own.

RIP

Lt Rob Dunn
 

Ah, Rob, why you? Why are all the good ones taken too soon and the arseholes just never go away.

Too many memories for one small email to cope with. ELUAS, Uni and life in general will never look the same again.

RIP good friend.

Rob.
 

Rob. Good man, good laugh, good pilot. Most of all, good bloke. Enough said I think. Thoughts to family.
RIP.

http://www.thecourier.co.uk

report in the local paper today

Fatal crash copter crew may have faced major fault
By Stefan Morkis

A ROYAL Navy inquiry into the cause of a helicopter crash that claimed the lives of two Dundee airmen has been unable to determine the reason for the accident.

However, their report suggests that the crew experienced a major malfunction and were forced to cut power to the helicopter’s rotor as they attempted to correct the fault.

The inquiry also found that it would be virtually impossible to recover from such a situation while flying at low level over the sea at night.

Pilot Lieutenant Robert Dunn (26), from Broughty Ferry, and naval aviator Lieutenant Jamie Mitchell (29), from Dundee, and two other crew members died when their Lynx helicopter came down off the coast of Cornwall last December.

They were carrying out a search and rescue mission around 17 nautical miles off Lizard Point when the helicopter crashed into the sea.

Despite interviewing 27 witnesses and examining radar data tapes and the technical accident investigation findings, the inquiry was unable to pinpoint the exact cause of the crash.

Its efforts have been hampered by the lack of any type of an accident data recorder, cockpit voice recorder—both of which were destroyed—or emergency radio report from the crew prior to the crash.

The inquiry has managed to determine the sequence of events that led up to accident.

The helicopter had been launched from HMS Portland at 6.20 pm on December 8 to assist in a search and rescue mission after HMS Montrose had reported a man overboard.

At 7.03 pm the helicopter descended to 100 feet above sea level as the crew searched and radioed in their position. After completing two orbits of a search pattern and about two minutes after reporting their position, the helicopter crashed.

Surveys of the wreckage of the helicopter on the seabed showed that although it was upright on the sea floor, it had suffered extensive damage.

Data from the aircraft’s radar tapes showed that when it hit the sea it had an extremely low forward speed but an extremely high rate of descent.

The initial investigation by the Royal Navy Flight Safety and Accident Investigation Centre indicated that neither of the helicopter’s engines was providing significant power to the rotor system at the time of the impact and that both appeared to have been shut down manually before the accident.

This action is known as a crash check and is extremely dangerous when flying at a low level over sea at night.

Therefore, the board of inquiry believes that the crew would only have taken this action if they had been firmly convinced they were dealing with a major emergency.

Simulations carried out after the accident also suggest that crew believed they had no other option but to cut power to the rotor because of a perceived major incident rather than inadvertently descending into the sea.

The inquiry was also unable to determine whether Lt Dunn was wearing his contact lenses when the helicopter crashed and so was unable to say whether this had been a contributory cause or not—thereby not completely ruling out the possibility of pilot error.

However, the inquiry did say that it was unlikely that a combination of disorientation and a minor malfunction had caused the crew to erroneously believe they had suffered a major malfunction.

The board of inquiry has made several recommendations in the wake of the crash, including that the RNFSAIC continues the investigation into the crash.

Wilma Donnelly, mother of Jamie Mitchell, said last night, “Whatever the inquiry finds will not bring my son back. The main concern of all the families was that there was no blame attached to anyone.”



Fully concur with Jaime's mum. God rest lads.