Cley parish
council leader says military aircraft were seen flying as low as 10ft over area
that is a breeding ground for birds
 |
| A fleet of HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters flying over RAF Lakenheath. Photograph: US air force/RAF/PA |
There have
been longstanding concerns about low-flying military aircraft carrying out
training exercises over the Norfolk coast where a US air force helicopter crash
killed four crew members on Tuesday night.
As police
launched an investigation into the cause of the crash, local residents and
politicians said they had seen military aircraft flying as low as 10ft (3
metres) above Cley Marshes nature reserve.
Richard
Kelham, chair of Cley parish council, said flying so close to a breeding ground
for birds was an "accident waiting to happen" and had prompted
complaints to nearby RAF bases. Another councillor said regulations had been
introduced about 15 years ago to order the aircraft to fly higher when using
the area near Salthouse.
"We
used to complain to the commanding officer who bluntly told us to piss off. In
a sense it's an accident waiting to happen," Kelham said.
"We do
feel for the families of the crew but they were put in a position they
shouldn't be in. This is a place for birds."
He said the
council had complained to RAF Marham and to RAF Lakenheath, which hosts US air
force units and was home to the crashed aircraft.
"It's
the oldest and one of the biggest and most famous bird reserves in the country.
We're not happy about them flying low. It's not uncommon and we certainly don't
raise an eyebrow," he said.
"You
used to get Tornados [RAF aircraft] screaming about at roof height, but that
doesn't happen so much now, and before that A-10s [US air force planes] flying
across the beach 10ft up."
Councillor
Jennifer Murray said she could see the flashing lights of emergency service
vehicles from her home near where the helicopter came down. She said regulations
had been introduced about 15 years ago to order aircraft to fly higher, but the
military continued to use the National Wildlife Trust area as a training site.
"A few
months ago there were three of those little black helicopters hovering over each
other for about half an hour – we always see them," she said.
Asked
whether she had seen military aircraft flying low, Murray said: "They
always have done. At one time there was a regulation that they had to be
higher, about 15 years ago. But I don't think there have been any [crashes] in
the last 30-plus years. I don't think there have been any great problems."
Wendy
Wyatt, a former councillor, said she had complained many times about aircraft
that fly so low they cause her seafront cottage to tremble. Last year Wyatt's
home was so close to a low-flying military helicopter that the pilot was able
to wave from his cockpit window, she said.
"They
are going too low. I don't know whether they are allowed to but something needs
to be done," she said.
"There
have been instances where a lot of other locals have complained.
"I had
to call Lakenheath [the RAF base] because my house shakes when they come across
through Glaven valley and then go out to sea. There's been huge helicopters in
the marshes and there are quite scary aeroplanes that land in the fields.
"It's
quite frightening thinking they are carrying guns and bullets. They do very low
things and I know it's not right but you can only complain so many times."
Wyatt, who
lives close to the crash site, said she suspected an aircraft had ditched into
the marshes after hearing a "really strange noise" when she went
outside to collect some wood.
"I
didn't know whether it was a helicopter coming down and then I thought: 'Oh,
something's crashed'," she said.
"I
went inside not thinking any more of it, put my son to bed and there was lots
of noise and cars – a lot more than there usually are – and then that's all I
heard until 10pm when [the] BBC phoned me."
A woman who
lives half a mile from the crash site said it was unnerving to see aircraft
flying so close to the ground on training exercises.
"We do
get low-flying helicopters. There's been occasions where you do feel that's a
bit low and it's slightly unnerving," said the woman, who declined to be
named.
She said
military aircraft flew "reasonably often" in the area, which is away
from buildings.
Norman
Lamb, the North Norfolk MP whose constituency includes the crash site, told Sky
News he had been worried about helicopter training exercises in the area. He
said the model of aircraft that crashed, an HH-60G Pave Hawk, was
"regarded as a very reliable helicopter".
On
Wednesday Norfolk police enforced a strict no-fly zone over the crash site as
investigators continued attempts to recover the bodies of the four crew
members. The area is strewn with bullets from the crashed aircraft.
Cley
Marshes is a popular spot for birdwatchers. The saltmarshes are home to large
birds including pink-footed geese, wintering wildfowl and marsh harrier.
Carl
Bishop, who runs boat tours nearby, said: "It is very common around there
to see helicopters. They do a lot of low flying. It's not every day but once a
week, usually at night-time."
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