Chinook helicopter makes emergency landing in Welsh field
29 July 2020, 09:04
A Chinook helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing in a Wales field, the Ministry of Defence said.
The twin-engined RAF aircraft came down on Tuesday evening on farmland near Llangynin, Carmarthenshire.
One crew member suffered “minor injuries” due to broken glass and hospital treatment was not needed, the MoD said.
A suspected power line “wire strike” is understood to be behind the incident, which is under investigation.
Officials said the Chinook was on a training exercise. Personnel stayed with the aircraft overnight for security reasons and it remains in the field this morning.
Repair and recovery efforts will take place on Wednesday after the helicopter sustained "minor damage", the MoD said.
Tracking data from FlightRadar24 shows the Boeing CH-47 Chinook came down around 11.30pm.
Nearby residents on social media reportedly described hearing the sound of a loud helicopter in difficulty.
Chinooks are primarily used for trooping, resupply and battlefield casualty evacuation, and can carry arms.
An RAF spokesperson told LBC News: "A Chinook from RAF Odiham on a routine training sortie was involved in an incident requiring it to make a landing in field near Pembrey.
"There has been some minor damage to the aircraft and one of the crew has minor injuries due to some broken glass. The cause of the incident is under investigation."
