Two officers killed as army helicopter hits power lines

A witness described his surprise at seeing how low and fast the Army Air Corps Squirrel helicopter was flying during a training exercise.

Lieutenant Mark Reynolds, 24, and Warrant Officer Class 2 Vince Hussell, 36, died when the aircraft crashed on the afternoon of May 29 2008 at Kingscott, near Torrington, north Devon.

Lt Reynolds, who was learning to fly the Squirrel, and WO2 Hussell, the instructor, were on the final exercise of a training course at 670 Army Air Corps Squadron based at Middle Wallop, Hampshire.

Student Henry Lamb was revising for his GCSEs in his conservatory when he heard helicopters flying around the valley near his home.

He told the hearing the weather at that time was hazy and there was also drizzle.

“At some time between 3pm and 4pm I was revising and two helicopters came across the side of the house from the direction of the coast,” Mr Lamb told the inquest at County Hall in Exeter.

“The noise of them going over made me look up and I was able to see it was a pair of Squirrel helicopters.

“They were fairly close together. As they went over I was surprised at how low and fast they appeared to be going.

“I am used to the helicopters flying about, but I can’t remember seeing them this close to the ground before.”

Mr Lamb said that 20 minutes later he saw two Squirrel helicopters again flying over the valley.

“One of the helicopters was at tree height from where I was looking,” he said.

“As it dropped down the valley it appeared to dodge around something. The helicopter seemed to have been forced down into the bottom of the valley.

“I have never seen any of the helicopters this low before.

“At this point the helicopter went out of my sight for a brief few seconds and then reappeared and it was pitched upwards at a 45 degree angle.”

Mr Lamb said the helicopter then disappeared from his sight again before he heard a loud bang.

“As it disappeared from my sight I saw three white very bright flashes starting towards the bottom of the valley and right the way up to the power lines and the wooden poles on the hill,” he said.

“At the same time I was seeing flashes the power went out in the house and I was certain the helicopter had hit the power lines.

“I could see smoke coming up from the valley and it also made me realise that something had gone wrong.”

Mr Lamb said he then heard a Sea King helicopter fly overhead and then saw a police car with emergency lights head towards the smoke.

“I didn’t want to believe that I had just seen a helicopter crash,” he said.

“I wanted to believe that it had made it out of the valley and that no-one had been hurt.”

Mr Lamb said the whole incident had taken no more than 30 seconds and his attention had been drawn to the height and speed of the helicopter.

“It was this that made me sit up and take so much notice at what was going on,” he said.

“Usually aircraft do fly in the area at very low altitude but I have never seen any form of aircraft flying this low before.

“They were flying at almost tree height level - not much above tree level.”

Lt Reynolds was a former head boy at Ampleforth College, North Yorks, and a Durham University engineering graduate. He was from Aslockton, near Nottingham.

WO2 Hussell, a married father-of-three, served with 2 (Training) Regiment Army Air Corps.

The officer, from Marton-le-Moor, near Ripon, North Yorks, was a veteran pilot with more than 2,000 hours’ flying experience.

The inquest heard that WO2 Hussell was declared dead at the scene while Lt Reynolds was airlifted to hospital but died later.

Post-mortem examinations found that both men died from multiple injuries.