How RAF pilot's quick thinking after complete engine failure earned him the Air Force Cross
Flight Lieutenant Ben Wallis has recalled how his Merlin helicopter suffered total mechanical failure, losing power to all three engines, during a nighttime training sortie in Denmark in 2018.
Everyone on board survived thanks to his quick reactions and the way he managed to land the stricken aircraft – which he attributed to his training.
He was awarded the Air Force Cross – the highest honour the Royal Air Force can give out in a non-combat situation.
Shortly after lifting off and with the helicopter just 120ft above the trees, a trainee pilot was at the controls when the potentially catastrophic emergency developed.
There was no power going to the engines and the rotor blades were beginning to slow down.
Flt Lt Wallis then took over and calmly steered the Merlin to a clearing while issuing a "brace, brace, brace" warning to his crew.
"Luckily, I spent a lot of time in Iraq and Afghanistan with the Brits before, and it would only take a lucky bullet to potentially incapacitate the aircraft," he told Forces News.
"So [it was] something we'd actually trained for a heck of a lot – I think the simulator training took over."
Miraculously, Flt Lt Wallis was able to complete an engine-off landing, saving the lives of all the crew on board.
Master Sergeant Ole Frøkjær, a flight engineer with the Royal Danish Air Force was one of those on board and paid tribute to the skill of Flt Lt Wallis.
Speaking to Forces News, he said: "What he did that night was magnificent.
"If it wasn't for his pilot skills, maybe I wouldn't be sitting here today."
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