THE Royal Navy serviceman killed after his helicopter crashed into the Channel has been named and pictured.
Lt Rhodri Leyshon was aboard a Merlin Mk4 which plummeted into the water off the coast of Dorset on Wednesday evening after suffering “double engine failure”.
The chopper was conducting mission rehearsals with the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth when the tragedy occurred.
Lt Rhodri’s family has paid tribute to a “talented” and ‘passionate’ man who was “immeasurably loved”.
They said in a statement: “Rhod was so immeasurably loved by his parents, siblings, partner, friends and family and he was devoted to them. Our lives will never be the same without him.
“We are all so very proud of the talented, passionate, strong and loyal man he was. We will always have him in our hearts. Our wonderful boy.”
There were three crew members on board at the time of the incident and two of them were rescued and taken to hospital, according to the MoD.
Another Merlin helicopter had been in the air at the time as part of the same exercise.
An investigation into what caused the aircraft to ditch is ongoing.
FORMER Rear Admiral Christopher Parry has described the death of a Royal Navy member in a training exercise as “very sad news”.
He said the death is a reminder that military flying at sea “is not risk free”.
He told The Sun: “Well, this is very sad news. It’s always bad when we lose somebody in peacetime, particularly in training.
“I think what it reminds all of us is that military flying, particularly at sea, is not risk free.
I’ve had a career in naval aviation, and you’re always flying fairly close to the edge.
“The conditions are normally marginal at sea if the aircraft actually goes in, the sea is in charge.
“All sorts of things that can happen, and that includes death and injury to our service personnel.”
The former officer said he had tragically lost colleagues at sea in similar circumstances.
He added: “We don’t know yet what’s happened. The fact of life is, the the aircraft’s gone into the sea.
“Two crew members have survived. One hasn’t tragically, and I’m afraid that is the nature of business at sea.
“It’s not risk free. And certainly in my lifetime I’ve I’ve lost a lot of colleagues at sea, and in similar circumstances.”
Describing the first steps of an investigation into the crash, he said the Navy will seek to recover the aircraft.
Dr Parry, the first Chair of the Government’s Marine Management Organisation, continued: “I think the first thing that will happen is they will seek to recover the aircraft.
“It’s in comparatively shallow water, so it should be able to be picked up reasonably intact.
“That’ll give some indications about whether it’s mechanical failure.
“They’ll take statements from the surviving crew in a Board of Inquiry, and comparisons will be made to similar incidents in the past, to see how it might have happened, and how it can be avoided again in the future.”
