RAF staff pushed to limit in mock crash

Emergency services and staff at RAF Shawbury were pushed to the limit as they took part in a training exercise scenario which involved a helicopter crash.

The distressed "mayday" call came in at 11am and immediately more than 100 people sprung into action as part of a multi-agency response to the simulated crash which fictitiously killed two people on board and a civilian on the ground.

An RAF Griffin helicopter with eight people on board had hit a flock of geese and "crash-landed" in a field near Harmer Hill.

Wreckage from the "crash" was strewn across the field, as well as casualties, while aviation fuel was in danger of leaking into the nearby watercourse.

Realistically, it was a car with the shell of an old helicopter on top, containing military students and personnel who had spent hours with make-up experts to make their injuries look as realistic as possible.

Squadron Leader Neil Hope, of RAF Shawbury, said: "What we are doing is having a full-scale crash and disaster exercise to test, not just RAF Shawbury, but also all other emergency services. The RAF react because it's one of our helicopters.

"Police, fire, ambulance, the Environment Agency, air ambulance, the police helicopter and the mountain rescue teams are involved in the exercise."

Squadron Leader Operations Andrew Jeffs was responsible for running the crash exercise.

He said: "As far as I understand everything has gone pretty well."

Andy Parfitt, health and safety officer at RAF Shawbury, said: "The car is there to give them something to cut up rather than a helicopter because that gets expensive."

By Suzanne Roberts