Julien Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 What is believed to be a USAF Pavehawk from RAF Lakenheath has crashed on the North Norfolk coast. Sky are saying the four crew have been killed. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25646978 RIP Guys. Julien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radleigh Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Not good Poor guys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phildagreek Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Yeah BBC saying USAF confirming a PaveHawk from Lakenheath has crashed in Norfolk with possibly four crew killed. Absolute nightmare for everyone involved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Filler Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 (edited) Terrible news. I wonder if it's a bird strike as it's gone down in a 'bird park' according to the BBC reports. edit: Maybe not, just read on another forum that a bird strike is a ridiculous assumption. Edited January 7, 2014 by Filler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c.smith10 Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Sad news indeed! I was watching this very helo this afternoon from work doing circuits over RAF Mildenhall! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyot Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Very Sad indeed, RIP to the 4 crew and thinking of their friends and families,....., Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy hood Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepureness Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Very sad to read this, 4 Airmen losing their lives. One can only assume what the causes were, with some odd weather patterns over pass few days wonder if that had anything to do with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomastmcc Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 sad times for the familes involved .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmcclure Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 A tragic loss of a brave crew. Terrible, terrible news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr T Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Very sad news, have been to that part of the Norfolk coast several times and for all concerned it is a terrible thing to have happened. From this evening news it does not appear that there a lot of intact debris. My thoughts are with the crews families, colleagues and friends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Fox Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 RIP and thank you for your service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rickpadwick1801 Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 RIP to all involved. The US military forces are having a very bad time at the moment. The BBC are reporting that a US Navy Mh53E Sea Dragon has crashed off the cost of Norfolk, Virginia. Link : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-25659531 Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wafu Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Terrible news. I wonder if it's a bird strike as it's gone down in a 'bird park' according to the BBC reports. edit: Maybe not, just read on another forum that a bird strike is a ridiculous assumption. Its not ridiculous at all, roosting birds in a wildfowl reserve. Approach each case with an open mind. Not like the and I quote the BBC 'an avaiation expert' Mr Chris Yates, on the this morning program today saying " it would be unsual to find that this was a pilot error, its might be more mechanical fault" How can he say that not 24hours after the event???????? This aircraft engineers thoughts are for the families and the members of the Squadron they served on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlet Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 A little bit more information and the names of the aircrew have been released on the RAF Lakenheath Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/RAFLakenheath?hc_location=timeline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Filler Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 (edited) Oops, just removed my post as it repeats Rick's from 20 minutes ago. Sorry for not reading back up the thread. However, I do have some questions about the caution being taken with the ammunition and the reported decision to not remove the deceased from the site until Thursday but, perhaps it's considered to soon to discuss this yet? Edited January 8, 2014 by Filler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julien Posted January 8, 2014 Author Share Posted January 8, 2014 Oops, just removed my post as it repeats Rick's from 20 minutes ago. Sorry for not reading back up the thread. However, I do have some questions about the caution being taken with the ammunition and the reported decision to not remove the deceased from the site until Thursday but, perhaps it's considered to soon to discuss this yet? I cant see it being a problem that they are taking care. There will be live ammo, fuel, hydraulic oil etc all kinds of nasty stuff. Better to take care and do the job properly. Julien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Filler Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 I cant see it being a problem that they are taking care. There will be live ammo, fuel, hydraulic oil etc all kinds of nasty stuff. Better to take care and do the job properly. Julien Sure Julien, I agree with that but I think that if I was a relative of one of the crew I'd be a bit unhappy with their body remaining on the scene for nearly 48 hours. And while caution is warranted to avoid anyone else getting hurt, I am in my ignorance of real weaponry a bit surprised by the level of caution around bullets. Based entirely on movies, I figured bullets weren't very dangerous unless fired from a gun or if someone lobbed a grenade into a crate of them. I didn't think they'd go off(?) if they were stood on, especially on marshy ground. Anyway, I'm sure there must be good reason as to why it's not safe to take the poor chaps away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mungo1974 Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 They just want to sanitize the area to prevent Joe Blogs picking stuff up,dispite the heavy police/military presence unauthorized civilians have already tried to access the crash site. Live 7.62 & .50 rounds plus flares from the helo's countermeasures in the wrong hands could be deadly,this accident has already taken four lives why risk more 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julien Posted January 9, 2014 Author Share Posted January 9, 2014 They just want to sanitize the area to prevent Joe Blogs picking stuff up,dispite the heavy police/military presence unauthorized civilians have already tried to access the crash site. Live 7.62 & .50 rounds plus flares from the helo's countermeasures in the wrong hands could be deadly,this accident has already taken four lives why risk more Exactly, there is no point not making the area safe. I am pretty sure families, in particualr military families would accept this. How would they feel if say a spark set of one of those flares and someone else got hurt or killed? There are Police, Fire, USAF and RAF personel on site and I am pretty sure they know what they are doing and dont need to be second guessed on it, and being from those organisations they will want to get the men out in a timley and dignified way. Julien 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selwyn Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Sure Julien, I agree with that but I think that if I was a relative of one of the crew I'd be a bit unhappy with their body remaining on the scene for nearly 48 hours. And while caution is warranted to avoid anyone else getting hurt, I am in my ignorance of real weaponry a bit surprised by the level of caution around bullets. Based entirely on movies, I figured bullets weren't very dangerous unless fired from a gun or if someone lobbed a grenade into a crate of them. I didn't think they'd go off(?) if they were stood on, especially on marshy ground. Anyway, I'm sure there must be good reason as to why it's not safe to take the poor chaps away. Explosives like the propellants in small arm ammunition that are nomally safe to handle can become very sensitive to shock when exposed to fire/ heat or contamination by fuels and oils. They can't help the deceased crew members now, but they have a duty of care to make the area safe as possible for the rescue and investigation teams to do there job. This accident has cost four lives already, nobody wants any more lives lost, or any preventable injuries. Selwyn 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundowner14 Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 RIP the crew. Sad loss. Sadder is the naive and uninformed opinion of MOPs who, shock horror, think it's outrageous that live armed aircraft operate in the UK. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 With regards to the length of times the remains of the crew stayed in the wreckage, in my experience this is pretty standard for military aircraft crashes. Given the state of the wreckage, it is very unlikely that the remains were intact, if you see what I mean. Therefore the coroner and forensic search teams would be involved to make sure that the remains were recovered in their entirety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mungo1974 Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 With regards to the length of times the remains of the crew stayed in the wreckage, in my experience this is pretty standard for military aircraft crashes. Given the state of the wreckage, it is very unlikely that the remains were intact, if you see what I mean. Therefore the coroner and forensic search teams would be involved to make sure that the remains were recovered in their entirety. Exactly... The news channels were making a big thing of the body recovery. The sad truth is the chances of all four deceased crew members be complete/intact after a impact like that are remote. A grim thought but a common occurrence in aviation accidents Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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