Fatal crashes mar Puma's record

The Puma came down near Baghdad, officials said Two die in Puma crash Puma fact file

The crash in Iraq that killed two UK military personnel and seriously injured two others is only the latest involving the RAF's oldest helicopter.

In April, two men died when two Puma helicopters collided north of Baghdad. In August, three personnel were killed when a Puma crashed in North Yorkshire.

An RAF pilot was also killed when a Puma crashed in Iraq in July 2004.

Following the crash in April, Defence Secretary Des Browne said the Puma's safety record was "very good".

Safety concerns

The Ministry of Defence said it was too early to speculate on the cause of the most recent crash.

But an inquest in May into the July 2004 crash in Iraq raised safety concerns over the Puma.

The surviving pilot, Flight Lieutenant Daniel Brook, said the transport helicopter suffered from a series of vices, including a delay in power to the rotor blades when controls are changed.

After the crash in April, it emerged one of the pilots had been blinded by dust thrown up by the helicopter's rotor blades.

'Sack of potatoes'

Eye-witnesses who saw the Puma crash into a field near Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, in August, reported they saw the helicopter "misfiring" before dropping out of the sky "like a sack of potatoes".

The Puma has been in operation with the RAF since 1971, and the air force now has a 33-strong fleet of the aircraft.

They are primarily used for transport, and can carry 16 fully-equipped troops and fly at up to 147 knots.

The model was first developed in France as a medium-sized, all-weather aircraft that could be used by the French Army during both night and day.

The Puma is flown by No 33 Squadron, based at RAF Benson in Oxfordshire, and by No 230 Squadron, based at RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland.

The other primary role of the aircraft is evacuating casualties, and it can be fitted with up to six stretchers.