AIRCRAFT CRASHED St. Davids and Tenby, Pembrokeshire.

At 4.15 p.m. on 23rd February, 1965, the coastguard informed the honorary secretary at St. Davids that an aircraft on a training flight from the Royal Naval Air Station at Brawdy with a crew of two had crashed three miles south south west of Brawdy. The life-boat Joseph Soar (Civil Service No. 34} was launched at 4.36 in a light northerly breeze and a calm sea. The tide was ebbing. The life-boat established contact on the very high frequency radio with a helicopter which directed the life-boat to the scene of the crash where oil was seen on the sea. A second helicopter which had been operating with a diver returned to base shortly before the life-boat arrived in the area. A flare was dropped by the first helicopter and her crew asked the Coxswain to carry out a search for possible survivors. At 5.40 the life-boat echo sounder showed an object on the sea bed about zoo yards from the flare dropped by the helicopter. A lead line with a lifejacket attached was dropped over the position and a grapnel was dragged across the area without success. The tug Empire Netta arrived from Milford at eight o'clock and she dropped a Dan buoy. The life-boat left the area at 8.20 after recovering the lead line and life-jacket and reached her station at 9.20. In the meantime the Tenby honorary secretary had been informed at 7.55 that flares had been reported six to seven miles north east of St. Govans lightvessel. Some delay had been experienced by the lightvessel in passing this message because of interference on the radio frequencies. The life-boat Henry Comber Brown was launched at 8.14 and the radar station at the Manorbier School of Artillery reported seeing an object which was thought to be the casualty. However the object disappeared from the radar screen during the unsuccessful search and in view of the loss of the aircraft from the Royal Naval Air Station at Brawdy the life-boat continued searching. This was called off at 11.15 and the life-boat reached her station at 1.30 a.m. on the 24th February..