AgustaWestland AW101 Merlin HC4 crash near English Channel, 25nm south of Lyme Regis, England, United Kingdom

The Merlin was flying night deck landing requalification sorties with HMS Queen Elizabeth in the English Channel. At about 0.25nm on a ship controlled approach, at 125ft and 65 knots, the diaphragm in the number two engine high pressure fuel metering unit split. Fuel flow and torque rose sharply and main rotor speed climbed to 107 per cent; engines one and three automatically reduced power to compensate, triggering master warning, engine fail and multiple cautions. The handling pilot aborted the approach and entered the port circuit while the aircraft commander declared a MAYDAY for a double engine failure, with height being maintained. The crew worked through elements of the double engine failure and crash drills intending a running landing on the ship. On the final approach, the number one and three engine condition switches were moved from FLIGHT to OFF. Engine two then increased torque to hold rotor speed, activating its overspeed protection, which cut its fuel. Rotor speed decayed and the aircraft entered a rapid unpowered descent. It struck the sea at 20:49 at around 10g, descending at nearly 2,000ft per minute at 62 knots, 17 degrees nose up. The aft flotation bags deployed, the starboard only partially, and the forward bags did not operate. The rotor disc struck the water, the tail section separated and the aircraft inverted. The aircraft commander and aircrewman escaped; the handling pilot did not survive. The Defence Safety Authority Service Inquiry was published in September 2026.