Ministry of Defence
The Royal Navy has named the serviceman killed in a night-flying training exercise in the English Channel on 4 September as Lt Rhodri Leyshon.
Lt Leyshon’s family released a statement on Friday saying he was “immeasurably loved by his parents, siblings, partner, friends and family and he was devoted to them”.
A Merlin Mk4 helicopter ditched with three crew members on board, including Lt Leyshon, 31, on Wednesday off the coast of Dorset.
An investigation into the accident is ongoing.
The two other crew members on board the helicopter at the time of the ditching – an emergency landing on water – were not seriously injured.
“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,” the family said.
“Our lives will never be the same without him.”
Lt Leyshon joined the Wales University Royal Naval Unit, which trains students, in 2010 and was commissioned into the Royal Navy in 2014. He undertook flying training, specialising as a Commando Aviator, and completed a number of overseas deployments, including to the Caribbean, USA and Norway.
For the past 18 months, Lt Leyshon had served in 846 Naval Air Squadron. The Navy said he was one of the Commando Helicopter Force’s “most trusted and highly capable aircraft captains and instructors, having honed his skills undertaking some of Defence’s most specialist aviation tasks”.
Colonel Mark Johnson, Commanding Officer of Commando Helicopter Force at Yeovilton, said in a statement: “It’s immensely sad that we lost one of our family.”
“Lt Leyshon was a consummate professional and a shining light with a bright future. He epitomised our team spirit and his loss leaves a huge hole in all our hearts.”
Air Vice-Marshal Alastair Smith, Commander of Joint Aviation Command, said he had flown with Lt Leyshon a few days ago and attested to his professionalism as a pilot and his warmth as a character.
“He will be sorely missed,” he said.
Where did the incident happen?
The Ministry of Defence has not said exactly where the helicopter ditched during the training exercise with HMS Queen Elizabeth, but it has confirmed it was in the English Channel off the coast of Dorset.
Satellite imagery shows an aircraft carrier was about 20 miles (30km) south of the Dorset seaside town of Lyme Regis at about midday on Wednesday.
Marine tracking websites suggest the UK’s second aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, was in the Mediterranean, near Gibraltar, so it is likely that the ship in the Channel was the Queen Elizabeth.
What is the Merlin Mk4?
The Mk4, or Mark 4, used by the Royal Marines, has been deployed around the world. It is a variant of the Merlin helicopter developed between the UK and Italy.
It is considered the “world’s most advanced amphibious battlefield helicopter”, according to the Royal Navy, and can carry up to 24 troops.
The last accident involving a Merlin helicopter happened in Afghanistan in 2010, according to online news outlet Navy Lookout.
The aircraft, being used by the Royal Air Force at the time, suffered a heavy landing at Camp Bastion, a former British Army airbase in Helmand Province. No-one was killed.
