12 injured in Army Helicopter crash near Catterick

It is unclear whether the helicopter which crashed at about 9.30 kiling 2 and injuring 10 was operated by the Army or Royal Air Force. Another reminder if needed of the diminishing stocks of armed forces lifting capacity for both training and in the battlefield.

UPDATE 9/8/07 1300. (MOD)We now know that there were three RAF personnel and 9 Army, 2 deaths and 10 injured and that it was a twin engined Puma. (The oldest helicopter in service with RAF , delivery started in 1971, it replaced the Wessex and is due to phased out in 2010). It can carry 16 fully equipped soldiers.

33 Squadron operate 15 x Puma HC1 out of RAF Benson where this flight originated and 230 Squadron have operated 18 x Puma HC1 RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland which have probably been re-positioned. In January 2003 an RAF benson helicopter crashed near Abingdon with no loss of life. (BBC)

A crash inquiry has been started into the crash at Catterick.

In April this year 2 RAF Puma's crashed at Taji north of Baghdad killing 1 SAS covert operative and 1 aircrew whilst on operational patrol. No further news has been provided since.

The Board of Inquiry into the loss of the Hercules C-130K XV206 on landing at Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan on the 24th of May last year has just been published but heavily censored.

The Board concluded that XV206 crashed after detonating a buried Soviet style AT blast mine when landing.

It must be rare for a complete aircraft the size of a Hercules to be destroyed by a land mine.

Expert analysis at Yorkshire Ranter