MoD Confirms 3 Royal Navy Deaths in Devon Crash as Tributes Honor Commando Pilot Trainee
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 5
MoD Confirms 3 Royal Navy Deaths in Devon Crash as Tributes Honor Commando Pilot Trainee
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 5
Summary
Three Royal Navy personnel killed in the Devon helicopter training crash were confirmed by the MoD as Lt Cdr Chris Gayson, 42, Lt Lily-Mae Fisher, 31, and Petty Officer Owen Green, 24.
03:45 BST on Wednesday, the aircraft came down in a field at Sourton near Okehampton during a routine training exercise; the Defence Accident Investigation Branch is investigating.
RNAS Yeovilton colleague Cdr Alex Kelley called the deaths a "devastating" loss, saying all three were exceptionally professional and highly respected across the service.
Lt Lily-Mae Fisher, Britain's only female Royal Navy commando, had been training as a pilot and was due to receive her wings later this month; floral tributes have been left at the crash site and base.
Family statements described Fisher as extraordinary, Green as kind and warm, and Gayson as a gentle family man, underscoring the wider impact of the loss beyond the navy.