Helicopter crash victims named
Flight Lieutenant David Sale died along with crewman Sergeant Phillip Burfoot
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Thursday, 09, Aug 2007 09:01
Two RAF personnel killed in a helicopter crash in North Yorkshire have been named by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Captain of the aircraft, Flight Lieutenant David Sale, 28, died along with crewman Sergeant Phillip Burfoot, 27, when their Puma helicopter crashed near Catterick last night.
Police earlier revealed that ten other people on board the crashed aircraft had been taken to hospital.
Nine army personnel and three RAF staff were travelling on the helicopter when it crashed while taking part in a routine training exercise, the MoD has confirmed.
Three army recruits who were injured in the smash have been described as "seriously ill".
MoD bosses have said that the cause of the accident, which occurred in a wooded area, west of the Catterick garrison army base, is still unknown. The department has stressed that a "full investigation" into the incident is now underway.
Both men who died in the crash were members of 33 Squadron, based at RAF Benson in Oxfordshire.
Paying tribute to them Group Captain Paul Lyall, station commander at the RAF base, said: "Words cannot adequately express our grief at their loss.
"As you can imagine, our immediate focus is on supporting their families, friends and colleagues and I ask that you respect their need for privacy at this very difficult time," he added.
MoD spokesman Michael Mulford told BBC News 24 earlier today that investigators would go through "every possible detail" to determine why the crash near the Catterick garrison occurred.
"They will go through every possible detail, everything to do with the maintenance of the aircraft, everything to do with crew hours and flying hours as well as weather conditions, mechanics and electrics - everything that you can think of that might contribute to an accident," he stressed.
The Catterick garrison is the UK's largest army base, with 7,500 regular soldiers, 1,900 recruits and 2,000 civilian staff working there. It covers 2,400 acres and has 20,000 acres of training land nearby.