Nimrod Crash

[lancer]

Just heard on the channel 4 news that a Nimrod R4 has crashed killing all 14 on board. Apparently the plane developed technical problems of some sort.
It's a terible thing to have happen both for the crew's families and the Nimrod fleet. My thought are with those families tonight.

[Big Chris]

My cousin flew Nimrods in he 80's and I know what a tight knit bunch they are my thoughts go with the familys too.

BBC NEWS


14 Britons killed in Afghanistan
Nimrod MR2
The plane was a Nimrod MR2
Fourteen British service personnel have died after their aircraft crashed in Afghanistan, the MoD has said.

Twelve RAF personnel, a Royal Marine and an Army soldier were on board the RAF Nimrod MR2 which came down in the southern province of Kandahar.

The reconnaissance jet belonged to the Nato-led force battling the Taleban.

Officials said the crash appeared an accident. Tony Blair said it would "distress the whole country" but the mission in Afghanistan was "vital".

The prime minister said: "Our thoughts go out immediately to the families of those who have died.

"British forces are engaged in a vital mission in Afghanistan and this terrible event starkly reminds us of the risk that they face daily."

   
It's a black day. It's a disaster for our soldiers on the ground in Afghanistan
Major Charles Heyman

Quick guide: Afghanistan
Factfile: Nimrod MR2
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UK Defence Secretary Des Browne said: "This is dreadful and shocking news. I know that the people of Britain will join me in sending our deep condolences to the loved ones of those who have lost their lives.

"At this stage all the indications are that this was a terrible accident and not the result of hostile action."

'Technical fault'

Nato forces say the plane was supporting the Nato mission in the area.

The pilot is believed to have radioed ground staff about a technical fault shortly before the aircraft came down.

The MR2 crews are usually based at RAF Kinloss in Scotland but the MoD has not confirmed where the crashed aircraft was from.

The last RAF Nimrod crash took place 11 years ago to the day when seven crew from Kinloss died at an air show near Toronto, Canada.

The incident was blamed on pilot error.

The crash brings the death toll of UK forces personnel in Afghanistan to 36 since the start of operations in November 2001.

Afghanistan map
The defence analyst, Major Charles Heyman, told BBC News 24: "It's a black day. It's a disaster for our soldiers on the ground in Afghanistan.

"No other words can describe it. It's a big hit to morale. Believe me it really does affect morale."

Commander of British Forces in Afghanistan, Brigadier Ed Butler, said recent loss of life has caused "profound personal devastation for families, friends and colleagues".

But he paid tribute to the "quite remarkable" resilience and morale of British our service personnel.

"I am personally humbled by their courage and commitment in getting on with the tough job in hand; delivering over and above, and making a difference to the ordinary people of Afghanistan," he said.

BBC defence correspondent, Paul Wood, told BBC News 24, said the plane could have been supporting an operation in a place called Panjwayi - west of Kandahar.

"It's a town - which has been in Taleban hands - which has been forced back into coalition hands by a big push, still continuing today."

Conservative Party leader David Cameron, who said he was "deeply shocked and saddened" by the accident, has sent his condolences to the friends and families of those killed.

"Today's tragic loss is a reminder of the extraordinarily difficult conditions in which our armed forces are operating in Afghanistan," he said.

   
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The crash is thought to be the biggest single loss of British troops in Iraq or Afghanistan since military operations began there in 2001.

Ten British armed personnel were killed when a Hercules C130K crashed north-west of Baghdad in January 2005.

The latest crash comes as Afghan and Nato troops began a major anti-Taleban drive in the Panjwayi district of Kandahar which has seen months of fighting.

   
AFGHAN AIR CRASHES
31 August 2006 - Dutch F-16 fighter pilot dies in crash in south of country
27 July 2006 - 16 people of multiple nationalities die in helicopter crash in south east
6 May 2006 - 10 US soldiers die in helicopter crash in Kunar province
24 April 2006- Five die when US anti-drugs plane crashes in southern Afghanistan
11 November 2005 - Civilian cargo jet from Bagram crashes killing eight
25 September 2005 - Five US soldiers die in Chinook crash in Zabul province
16 August 2005 - 17 Spanish soldiers die when Cougar helicopter crashes near Herat
28 June 2005 - 16 US soldiers die in Chinook crash in Kunar province
6 April 2005 - 15 US soldiers and three civilian contractors die in helicopter crash in Ghazni province
Earlier, Nato said its forces had launched a major offensive against known hideouts of Taleban insurgents in the Panjwayi district of Kandahar, with the aim of driving them out of the area.

There was no indication of an enemy attack on the plane, which was not a fighter jet, Maj Scott Lundy said.

Afghanistan is experiencing its bloodiest period since the fall of the Taleban in 2001. Much of the fighting has been concentrated in the south.

The plane came down about 20 km (12 miles) west of the city of Kandahar, Maj Lundy of the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said.

It was "supporting a Nato mission. It went off the radar and crashed in an open area in Kandahar".  

[Captain Canada]

Man, that is terrible news. 14 brave souls gone in a flash.....bless their families.

It's also a terrible loss for the RAF.

[K5054NZ]

My deepest sympathies to the crew's families and to the men (and women?) of the squadron concerned.


Forgive me for asking, but is this the first Nimrod loss?

[nev]

No, I think they've lost 5.  One went down at an airshow in Canada a few years ago.  There was one that ditched in the sea off Scotland before that - luckily the sea was like a pond and all the crew got off safely.  I think there were a couple before that as well.

[RLBH]

Yep, five.

Bird strike over Roseisle Forest (on the RAF Kinloss circuit, I guess).
Onboard fire at St Mawgan.
Engine fire, ditching at Lossie.
Crash at Montreal airshow (11 years to the day before Saturday's loss)
Afghanistan.

[Jennings]

No disrespect to the crew or families, but what on *earth* was a maritime reconnaissance/ASW platform doing in the middle of the Central Asian landmass anyway?  I was sure when I first hear this that it must have been an R.1 that crashed, but no, it was an MR.2.  How strange.

J

[Geoff_B]

No disrespect to the crew or families, but what on *earth* was a maritime reconnaissance/ASW platform doing in the middle of the Central Asian landmass anyway?  I was sure when I first hear this that it must have been an R.1 that crashed, but no, it was an MR.2.  How strange.

J

Not really Jennings, with the reduced naval threat of Sov Subs the Nimrods have been doing alot to the battlespace monitoring command and control duties that you guys have specialised 135's for. Thats why Nimrods were present at the gulf wars and why the MRA4 programme continued despite various screwups. These are multirole role aircraft that have adpated to cover numerous roles ontop of the traditional MPA/ASW tasks.

The R1's are listeners and perform a very different role.

G

[Captain Canada]

Crash at Montreal airshow (11 years to the day before

It was at the CNE in Toronto. Crashed into Lake Ontario. The RAF sent one across the pond the next day, to do a single flypast....what a show of respect and class. Beautiful stuff.