Royal Navy Merlin Mk4 ditching kills one crew member

A Royal Navy helicopter ditching off the coast of Dorset in the UK has cost one service member their life, but two other crew members were rescued and were apparently unharmed after the incident.

The crew were aboard a Merlin Mk4 helicopter undertaking night-flying exercises during training with the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.

The victim has not been named but their immediate family has been informed. The crew member who died was based at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, a station in Somerset.

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A ditching is technically different from a crash. The technical definition is actively helpful in adding detail to the course of events, because according to the Civil Aviation Authority, a ditching takes place when there is a “deliberate emergency landing on water”, rather than an “uncontrolled impact”.

The Royal Navy said a full investigation into the ditching would take place and expressed its “great sadness” at the loss of life.

The Merlin Mk4 is generally modified for use by elite forces, most notably the Royal Marines. It can fly at a speed of 160 knots (184mph/296km/h) and has a range of 750 nautical miles. Its modifications include a special fast roping beam that lets special forces out of the main cabin door at speed, for rapid deployment as necessary. These features differentiate the Mk4 physically from the Mk2, which is principally used in anti-submarine combat. 

The specialised nature of the Mk4’s modifications suggests that the crew may have been involved in similarly specialised night-flying training when the ditching occurred. The helicopter has not yet been recovered and the recovery is expected to be a long process.