Drone worth £45m CRASHES in Afghanistan – but officials say it WASN’T downed by enemy

A BUNGLING Army Air Corps crew who wrote off their £40million Apache helicopter may have lost focus after a visit from TV hardman Ross Kemp, according to an official report.

The former EastEnders star was in a remote forward operating base in Helmand Province filming the second series of the award-winning Ross Kemp in Afghanistan when the two-man crew landed their gunship in readiness for an operation later that day. 

According to the official inquiry, ordered by Rear Admiral C A Johnstone-Burt, Commander Joint Helicopter Command, the pilot and gunner spent time showing Kemp and his film crew around the sophisticated helicopter, before having a meal and taking a mandatory rest period in September 2008. 

The Apache, call sign Zulu Juliet 177, was stood down from operations at 6.35pm and took off from Forward Operating Base Edinburgh Sangin.

But the crew misjudged how near they were to a dirt mound and crashed shortly afterwards, resulting in damage to the tail, rotor blades and a stub wing. 

The board believes that the crew were unconsciously distracted by external influences
The crew escaped with minor injuries. According to the board of inquiry, the crew did not use the normal exit route which was blocked by a vehicle, misjudged available space and were complacent.

They also failed to articulate checks.

Crucially, however, the report said: “The board believes that the crew were unconsciously distracted by external influences that impaired their decision-making process and professional performance.” 

The pilots spent a large amount of their pre-flight “start checks” referring to the use of a camera, though details as to who was using the camera have been redacted by the Ministry of Defence. 

But the report went on to state: “Both crew members were clearly distracted by something external to the aircraft.” 

It added: “The board believes the discussion about the use of a camera and the external activity were distractions during a critical period of flight checks.” 

The report did not blame Ross Kemp but added that during the afternoon the crew received a number of visitors, including Kemp. 

“Whilst not a distraction at the time of the accident the board believes it was a contributory factor to the overall focus of the crew,” the report said. 

Last night an MoD spokesman said: “Our highly-skilled pilots are trained to deal with all kinds of emergency situations and incidents like this are extremely rare. To suggest that this was caused by the filming of a documentary would be disingenuous.” 

Kemp, whose Sky One series has been awarded a Bafta for best factual programme, was not available for comment.

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