Two killed in RAF helicopter crash named

Two airmen killed when an RAF helicopter crashed in North Yorkshire last night have been named.

The Ministry of Defence said they were the aircraft's captain, Flight Lieutenant David Sale, and crewman Sergeant Phillip Anthony Burfoot, both from 33 squadron, based at Royal Air Force Benson in Oxfordshire.

The family of 27-year-old Sgt "Taff" Burfoot said he would be "deeply missed".

"Phillip loved the active lifestyle and opportunities given to him whilst serving in the RAF," they said, speaking from their home in Penylan, Cardiff.

"During his time in service he made many friends throughout the country but what meant most to him was the camaraderie with his fellow servicemen.

"He will be deeply missed by his family, whose thoughts are also with the families of those involved in the accident."

Group Captain Paul Lyall, Station Commander at RAF Benson, said: "Words cannot adequately express our grief at their loss. Our prayers and thoughts are with the families and loved ones at this time."

Eight other RAF crew and army personnel on board are being treated in hospitals across the North East, including two who were seriously injured.

Air accident investigators have been sifting through the wreckage of the RAF Puma helicopter the crew were travelling in.

Witnesses reported the aircraft "misfiring" before turning on to its side and crashing.

It came down in a wooded area in North Yorkshire, to the west of Catterick Garrison.

Three of the people on board were RAF crew. The nine others were Army personnel, North Yorkshire Police said.

Police said the victims were taken to hospitals in Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Darlington and Northallerton.

A board of inquiry has been set up to find the cause of the accident.

RAF spokesman Michael Mulford said a board of inquiry would be set up and start work to find out what caused the crash.

He said: "They will go through every possible detail, everything to do with the maintenance of the aircraft, everything to do with crew hours and flying hours weather conditions, mechanics and electrics.

"Everything that you can think of that might contribute to an accident."

Detective Superintendent Steve Reid, from North Yorkshire Police, said investigations would be conducted throughout the day to try to find out the cause of the crash.

"A large area has been cordoned off to enable that thorough investigation to take place," he said.

"That will be commenced in earnest later today and I think we will need to wait until those inquiries have been completed before we start piecing together exactly what happened.

"We will be maintaining that cordon and ensuring that the appropriate investigators can gather all the evidence that's necessary to put together as clear a picture as we possibly can from these sort of circumstances of what happened and what caused the crash."

Det Supt Reid said the crash did not happen in an inhabited area and was not close to Catterick garrison.

"It's a way away from the garrison. It's close to Army training grounds, in fact, and certainly no habitations were threatened as a result of the crash."

The MoD said the RAF helicopter had been working with the army at Catterick Garrison.

The garrison is the UK's largest Army base, with 7,500 regular soldiers, 1,900 recruits and 2,000 civilian staff.

The garrison itself covers 2,400 acres, with a further 20,000 acres of training land.

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