A British Army helicopter was destroyed in a friendly fire incident during the F alklands War, killing its four

occupants. In the early hours of 6 June 1982, the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Cardiff was looking for aircraft supplying the Argenti ne forces on the Falkland Islands. An Army Air Corps Gazelle helicopter (example pictured) was making a routine delivery to British troops on East Falkland. Car diff's crew assumed it was hostile, given its speed and course, and fired two mi ssiles, destroying it. When the wreckage was found, the loss was attributed to e nemy fire. Although Cardiff was suspected, scientific tests on the wreckage were inconclusive. No formal inquiry was held until four years later. Defending thei r claim that the helicopter had been lost in action, the UK Ministry of Defence stated that they had not wanted to upset relatives while they were still trying to ascertain how the Gazelle had been shot down. The board of inquiry did not bl ame any individuals but identified factors including a lack of communication bet ween the army and the navy and the army's decision to turn off helicopters' iden tification friend or foe transmitters. (Full article...) Recently featured: Roxy Ann Peak quis of Paran Bohemian Waxwing Honrio Hermeto Carneiro Leo, Mar