Navy helicopter crash 'an accident'

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The Mark 3 Lynx plunged into the sea during a search and rescue mission off the Cornish coast on December 8 2004.

Returning a narrative verdict on Friday, the jury at East Somerset Coroner's Court, in Wells, said the deaths were the result of "an accident when Royal Navy Lynx helicopter XZ724 crashed into the sea at a high rate of descent".

The aircraft, based at RNAS Yeovilton, in Somerset, was responding to a "man overboard" call from HMS Montrose when it lost contact.

The bodies of Lieutenant David Cole, 34, Lieutenant Robert Dunn, 29, both from Dorset, Lieutenant Jamie Mitchell, 29, from Dundee and LAEM Richard Darnell, 31, from Torquay, were recovered from the helicopter, which was later found on the seabed.

A board of inquiry (BOI) investigated the incident, and a separate probe was launched by the Royal Navy Flight Safety and Accident Investigation Centre (RNFSAIC), but neither reached a definitive conclusion as to why the aircraft crashed.

The hearing was told the Lynx had no recording equipment, such as a blackbox, but following the crash the Ministry of Defence fitted all of its aircraft with recording equipment.

After the verdict, Lynx Force Commander, Commander Nigel Amphlett, said the men were engaged in what was thought to be "a humanitarian mission" to save someone at sea.

He said: "We were all deeply saddened by the deaths in this tragic accident. We have lost four truly exceptional men.

"They will not be forgotten."