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| Afghanistan helicopter crash inquest: Coroner calls for safety improvements | Afghanistan helicopter crash inquest: Coroner calls for safety improvements |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A coroner has called on the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to improve safety after the death of five British servicemen in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. | |
| Oxfordshire Coroner Darren Salter has written to the MoD saying fatigue and a lack of training could have contributed to the accident. | Oxfordshire Coroner Darren Salter has written to the MoD saying fatigue and a lack of training could have contributed to the accident. |
| He also suggested flight recorders could be installed on newer aircraft. | He also suggested flight recorders could be installed on newer aircraft. |
| The men died during training when an Army Air Corps Lynx crashed 12 miles from Kandahar airbase in 2014. | The men died during training when an Army Air Corps Lynx crashed 12 miles from Kandahar airbase in 2014. |
| Mr Salter recorded a narrative verdict and said a proximity alarm telling the crew they were going to crash had not been correctly set up. | Mr Salter recorded a narrative verdict and said a proximity alarm telling the crew they were going to crash had not been correctly set up. |
| He called on the MoD to review manning levels within air squadrons and the strain put on individual service personnel. | |
| In a statement, the family of L/Cpl Oliver Thomas said they felt "very let down" by the MoD. | |
| "His future was tragically taken away from him and us," it said. | |
| "As the coroner said, this was a case of controlled flight into terrain, due to lack of situational awareness and misjudgement of height." | |
| The family of Capt Thomas Clarke said there were still "significant question marks" over how the accident happened. | |
| 'Hope lessons are learned' | 'Hope lessons are learned' |
| Father-of-two Spencer Faulkner was on his "last operation" and had been due to retire after serving for 22 years with the military, his widow Cally said. | Father-of-two Spencer Faulkner was on his "last operation" and had been due to retire after serving for 22 years with the military, his widow Cally said. |
| After the inquest she added: "Nothing can ever bring Spencer back to us but we hope that lessons will be learned from this incident to reduce the risk of similar accidents in future." | After the inquest she added: "Nothing can ever bring Spencer back to us but we hope that lessons will be learned from this incident to reduce the risk of similar accidents in future." |
| A previous official report concluded the helicopter was serviceable and under the control of the crew when it was accidentally flown into the ground. | A previous official report concluded the helicopter was serviceable and under the control of the crew when it was accidentally flown into the ground. |
| The inquest was told WO Faulkner's voice could be heard on the flight recording shouting "pull up" three times, moments before the helicopter hit the ground. | |
| It had descended 25ft (7.5m) in half a second, despite attempts to halt the descent. | It had descended 25ft (7.5m) in half a second, despite attempts to halt the descent. |
| The aircraft was from a squadron based at RAF Odiham in Hampshire. | The aircraft was from a squadron based at RAF Odiham in Hampshire. |
| The crew | The crew |
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