ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 64756
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| Date: | Tuesday 6 December 1966 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: |  Westland Sioux AH.1 |
| Owner/operator: | 1 Regiment, RHA Air Troop |
| Registration: | XT125 |
| MSN: | 1591 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | between Musaymir and Habilayn at 13°26'N, 44°36'E. -
 Yemen
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | BP Camp Little Aden Barracks, Aden (Yemen) |
| Musaymir, Aden (Yemen) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Crashed and destroyed 6/12/1966 between Musaymir and Habilayn in South Arabia, now Yemen. The aircraft caught fire killing the three on board. There were no eyewitness to the crash and it took over 24 hours to find the crash site. The bodies were recovered by Lt R D Grist in a Scout helicopter.
The obituary of one of the three crew lost provides further details:
"23821256 Gunner John Edward CAIN, Royal Horse Artillery (RHA), age 24, died when the Sioux AH.1 (XT125) helicopter of 13 Flight, Army Air Corps in which he was the observer/gunner crashed while en-route Musaymir to Habilayn after taking off overweight. The crash site was near Musaymir, 13°26'N, 44°36'E. The aircraft caught fire killing the three on board.
1st Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery, served in Aden from mid 1965 to mid 1967 and was based at BP Camp Little Aden Barracks opposite the Marine Commando Barracks. The Regiment consisted of 3 Batteries (Chestnut Troop, E Battery and B Battery)
Chestnut Battery lost its Battery Commander in a Helicopter crash. All on board perished:
Captain John Alec Fleming, RHA, pilot
Major John Theodore Dixon Sharpe, RHA, OC Chestnut Battery, 1 RHA
Gunner John Edward Cain, RHA, observer.
On 6 December 1966 Captain John Fleming RHA was flying Major John Sharpe, Officer Commanding Chestnut Troop 1 RHA, around his battery positions in a Sioux helicopter, Gunner John Cain sat in the rear, beside a store of grenades and ammunition, cradling his SLR rifle. As they neared Musaymir, along the Yemen border, the helicopter suddenly spiralled out of control and crashed into a gully, the fuel from the ruptured tank showering downwards and exploding the ammunition.
The men were all killed instantly and the resulting inferno destroyed most of the aircraft, making any accident investigation extremely difficult.
When contact had been lost, a search started, and although Sergeant Pilot Forde spent several hours looking for Fleming's machine, in the end he had to return to base empty handed. He recalled that as he landed, 'a lady rushed out and asked if I had found John Fleming — it was his wife'.
Luckily an FRA patrol was in the area and soon arrived at the crash site and began looking for clues. Gunner Cain's SLR was missing and bizarrely, one of the bodies had obviously been mutilated after the crash. Several weeks later a recce troop from Four Five Commando was in the area, going to the assistance of an ambushed RE convoy.
The bodies were recovered by Lt RD Grist in a Scout helicopter.
They themselves came under attack from a cave sangar and the Troop Commander, Lieutenant Knott, threw a grenade into the cave to silence the opposition. He then went in and found a dead tribesman with a rifle containing parts from Gunner Cain's SLR rifle.
Due to lack of evidence, the subsequent accident inquiry could not determine the reason for the helicopter crash. But the fact that rebel tribesmen had quickly arrived at the crash site and exacted their customary retribution on a fallen enemy indicated that they had probably shot down the aircraft.
Sources:
1. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 101/680: http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C5070690 [AIB and RAF reports and proceedings of Board of Inquiry]
2. http://www.ukserials.com/losses-1966.htm
3. http://web.archive.org/web/20140819231028/http://britains-smallwars.com:80/Aden/units.html
4. http://pub20.bravenet.com/forum/static/show.php?usernum=1655551732&frmid=98&msgid=922759&cmd=show
5. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/189809896/john-edward-cain
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 18-Oct-2011 20:07 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 12-Sep-2013 20:41 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Cn, Operator, Location, Phase, Source, Narrative] |
| 04-Jun-2015 22:10 | Angel dick one | Updated [Operator] |
| 30-Oct-2017 18:45 | R.Grist | Updated [Operator, Location, Narrative] |
| 26-Nov-2020 04:46 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 26-Nov-2020 04:54 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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