AH.9 Lynx crash (September 2004)

During September 6 - September 17 2004 Army of the Czech Republic and British Army held an Anglo-Czech joint military training exercise code named Flying Rhino ("Létající nosorožec") in the Czech Republic. Approximately 450 British soldiers participated in an exercise aimed to improve coordination between ground and air forces.

British forces were equipped with Harrier GR7 and Hawk airplanes and Lynx helicopters. Czech army provided L-39 and L-159 airplanes and Mi-24 helicopters from Čáslav Air Base and Přerov Air Base.

A Lynx AH Mk.9 helicopter had arrived on September 6 to Čáslav. During a September 9 flight from Přerov to Náměšt nad Oslavou Air Base through the valley of river Oslava the low flying helicopter was caught in high-voltage electric wires and crashed near the village Kuroslepy (near Brno). After the crash the wreck was set on fire and all six person on the board died (pilots Douglas Andrew Loose and Ollie Kemp, soldiers Vincent Crain, Kevin Dimmock, Bradley Gomersall and Daniel Kelly). The exercise was initially suspended but later resumed in limited form.

On the same location a Mi-24 helicopter hit the wires (at height 25 m) two years ago, on October 5 2002, without crash. ^{[http://www.vrtulnik.cz/accidents/nehody02.htm]}

External links

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3641518.stm BBC report]
* [http://www.vrtulnik.cz/accidents/kata017.htm Details about the crash, photos] (in Czech)