§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for Defence why a helicopter flew low over the village of Rhyd-Ddu in Gwynedd at night on Thursday 15 March without displaying any lights; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. LeaOne HH53 helicopter of the United States Air Force based at RAF Woodbridge was on a low level navigation exercise in the vicinity of Rhyd-Ddu during the late evening of Thursday 15 March. It was showing navigation and anti-collision lights. The pilots were using night vision goggles the operation of which can be impaired by light reflections from the ground; the lights 587W had, therefore, been arranged so that none shone on the ground, but they would have been clearly visible to other air traffic.