RN helos collide!

[wrbones]

(AP Photo) Two British Navy Helicopters Collide
Two British Navy Helicopters Collide Over Gulf; 7 Crew Members Missing, Officials Say

The Associated Press





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LONDON March 22 —
Two British Navy helicopters collided over international waters in the Persian Gulf, and seven crew members were missing, officials said Saturday.

Group Capt. Al Lockwood, a spokesman for British forces in the Gulf, said the collision involved Sea King search and rescue helicopters.

Speaking at the British Central Command in Qatar, Lockwood said a search and rescue operation was under way to find the missing crew members.

"We are doing everything we can to ascertain what caused the accident," he told Sky News.

The accident happened at around 4:30 a.m. local time Saturday (8:30 p.m. EST Friday), officials said. Lockwood said the collision was not the result of enemy fire.


photo credit and caption: F-16CJ aircraft from the 20th Fighter Wing, Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, deployed to the 363rd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron wait on a hot ramp while maintenance crews pull pins on weapons attached to their aircraft prior to a mission on March 21, 2003. Members of the 363rd EFS support Operation Iraqi Freedom at an undisclosed forward deployed location. (AP Photo/Staff Sergeant Matthew Hannen) Released




Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[thedrifter]

Britons, 1 American Killed in Collision
Sat Mar 22, 3:49 AM ET


CAMP AS SAYLIYAH, Qatar - Two British Royal Navy helicopters collided Saturday over the Persian Gulf, killing all seven on board including a U.S. Navy (news - web sites) officer, military officials said.


Pentagon (news - web sites) spokesman Maj. Ben Owens said the U.S. Navy officer was among the seven on board who died. The rest were British.


The two Sea King helicopters were not struck by enemy fire, said Group Capt. Al Lockwood, a spokesman for British forces in the Gulf.


"All those on the helicopters have perished," Lockwood said. "It's a great tragedy."


The helicopters crashed about 4:30 a.m., just after taking off from a ship in the gulf, officials said. The cause was under investigation.


"We do have very careful plans and procedures to ensure we have separation of all the aircraft being used," Lockwood said. "Sadly, last night something was not quite right and we are looking to find out what that was as quickly as possible."


The accident is the second involving coalition helicopters since the U.S.-led campaign began.


Eight British Royal Marines and four American Marines died when their CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter crashed before dawn in Kuwait on Friday.


Lt. Col. Ben Curry, a British Royal Marines spokesman, said that crash occurred as troops were being deployed to seize the al-Faw peninsula in southern Iraq (news - web sites).


Manufactured by AgustaWestland in Britain, the Sea King was developed for the Royal Navy and has been in service for more than 25 years.


There are more than 300 in service with both the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. They are also used by military in Australia, Egypt, Germany, India and Pakistan.



Sempers,

Roger

Rest in Peace

[thedrifter]

Subject: DoD Identifies American Officer Killed in Royal Navy Helicopter
Collision

NEWS RELEASE from the United States Department of Defense

No. 138-03
(703)697-5131(media)
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 22, 2003
(703)428-0711(public/industry)

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE IDENTIFIES AMERICAN OFFICER KILLED IN
ROYAL NAVY HELICOPTER COLLISION
The Department of Defense announced today the identity of the
American officer killed when two Royal Navy Sea King helicopters
collided over international waters March 22. Killed was Navy
Lt. Thomas Mullen Adams, 27, of La Mesa, Calif.
Adams had been assigned as an exchange officer with the Royal
Navy's 849 Squadron since October 2002. The squadron's
detachment is currently embarked on the Royal Navy aircraft
carrier HMS Ark Royal.


Sempers,

Roger


God Bless All Our Troops