The Ministry of Defence fatality notice published on 4 June 2026 confirmed that Lieutenant Commander Chris Gayson and Lieutenant Lily-Mae Fisher of 846 Naval Air Squadron, and Petty Officer Owen Green of 845 Naval Air Squadron, died in Devon during routine training activity on 3 June 2026. The notice sits in the government's United Kingdom operations category and functions primarily as a formal confirmation of identity, unit affiliation and service record, rather than a report on the incident itself. (gov.uk) A separate Royal Navy statement said the training took place in the early hours of Wednesday 3 June in Sourton, Devon, and asked anyone near the crash site not to circulate footage but to provide any material to the relevant investigating authority. Neither official statement set out a cause, sequence of events or findings on airworthiness. (royalnavy.mod.uk)
In institutional terms, Lieutenant Commander Gayson's career combined front-line flying, air safety oversight and training command. The Ministry of Defence said he joined the Royal Navy in September 2008 after completing a Masters in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Bath and a short period with Deloitte, later gaining 'Junglie' wings in October 2012 and flying Sea King Mk4 aircraft in Norway, Jordan, Afghanistan and embarked operations. (gov.uk) The notice also records a move into the Commando Helicopter Force air safety portfolio in 2015, with responsibility for force-wide practices, risk management, culture and assurance. After returning to flying and then instructing at RAF Shawbury, he became Senior Pilot of 60 Squadron before moving in March 2023 to Joint Aviation Command collective training, where the Ministry of Defence says he translated defence policy into collective training objectives and assurance for 1 Aviation Brigade Combat Team and Aviation Task Forces. He was later selected to convert to the Commando Merlin and took up the post of Operational Conversion Flight Commander with 846 Naval Air Squadron in July 2025. (gov.uk)
Lieutenant Fisher's service record links civilian technical training, elite military qualification and the naval flying training system. The Ministry of Defence and Royal Navy said she studied geology at Imperial College London, worked for British Petroleum after graduating in 2016, and commissioned into the Royal Navy in 2019 after first developing an interest in flying through the Officer Training Corps and University Air Squadron. (gov.uk) According to the Royal Navy statement, she represented Great Britain at the European Age Group Triathlon Championships in September 2021 while also completing Elementary Flying Training. During a break in training, she passed the All Arms Commando Course and became Britain's only serving female Royal Navy Commando. She later served as a Watch Keeper on Operation Isotrope, coordinating naval assets to locate, secure and recover vessels with the stated aim of preventing loss of life, before joining 846 Naval Air Squadron in 2025 to train on the Merlin Mk4. The Royal Navy said she was killed on her final flying assessment and was due to receive her pilot's wings in June 2026. (royalnavy.mod.uk)
Petty Officer Green's record shows a short but intensive progression through the rotary-wing aircrew training system. The Ministry of Defence said he joined the Royal Navy in January 2022, began initial training at HMS Raleigh, completed advanced aircrew courses at RNAS Yeovilton, RAF Shawbury and RNAS Culdrose, and served as an Aircrewman with 845 Naval Air Squadron. (gov.uk) The official notices say he later completed his embarked aviation qualification aboard HNLMS Johan De Witt in October 2025, contributed to exercises including Hades Warrior and Wyvern Tor 26, and built extensive flying exposure on Operation Clockwork 26 in Arctic conditions. Both statements present that record as evidence of operational readiness, multinational experience and a substantive squadron contribution at an early stage of service. (gov.uk)
Read together, the two official statements describe losses across three different functions inside the Commando Helicopter Force: conversion and instructor leadership, a pilot nearing qualification on the Merlin Mk4, and an aircrewman already contributing to embarked and cold-weather operations. That assessment is an inference from the roles and appointments set out by the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Navy, rather than a separate operational judgment issued by government. (gov.uk) For Policy Wire readers, the most directly policy-relevant detail is Lieutenant Commander Gayson's post in Joint Aviation Command collective training. The Ministry of Defence explicitly links that role to the translation of defence policy into training objectives and assurance activity, placing the notice within a wider chain from departmental policy to force preparation and standards. (gov.uk)
Official reactions were brief and formal. Air Vice-Marshal Lee Turner, Colonel Will Penkman and Defence Secretary John Healey each described the three as highly capable and deeply valued members of the service, while extending condolences to families, colleagues and friends. (gov.uk) As published on 4 June 2026, the government notice is best read as a confirmation of identity, squadron affiliation and professional record after a fatal training event in Devon on 3 June. It does not announce investigative findings or policy changes, but it does document an immediate loss to naval aviation training and operational expertise within two Royal Navy squadrons. The final point is an inference based on the service histories set out in the official notices. (gov.uk)