first Westland Puma squadron it took part in the Gulf War of 1991, the Kosovo War in the late 1990s, relief operations during the flooding in Mozambique in 2000 and NATO operations in Bosnia in the early 2000s. On 8 August 2007, the crash of No. 33 Squadron Puma HC.1 ZA934 left three personnel dead out of twelve on board in Catterick Garrison. The inquest coroner called No. 33 Squadron "a sloppy outfit", that allowed an unqualified crew to operate the helicopter. A recording played at the inquest revealed pilot Dave Sale remarking, "let's scare the shit out of this taxi", before apparently flying above a taxi, an incident that happened two hours prior to the crash, during the same flight. A court-martial of the co-pilot stated that "the officers on this board are shocked at the lack of professional standards displayed by those responsible for the aircraft." The squadron was deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Telic in 2009. The Puma HC.1 was withdrawn from service and was replaced by the Puma HC.2 in December 2012. On 11 October 2015, one personnel member of the squadron was killed in an accident in Kabul, Afghanistan, whilst landing at the NATO Training and Support Mission HQ. A Ministry of Defence spokesman said the crash was "an accident and not the result of insurgent activity". The pilot was named a day later, and was repatriated back to the UK on the 20th. The Flight Lieutenant's CO commented saying "He died tragically doing a job he loved and flying an aircraft he had personally invested so much time developing. A loving husband, his loyalty and devotion to his friends, work colleagues and the job was unequalled and his memory and contribution will live on." A post mortem found he died of multiple injuries at an inquest. The inquest was adjourned indefinitely until the conclusion of separate inquiries being undertaken by the Ministry of Defence were completed. Previous aircraft Memorials There is a Royal Air Force (RAF) memorial in Crete to the airmen of 30 and 33 Squadrons who died during the battle of Crete. The memorial is located behind the roadside hedge between Maleme and Tavronitis overlooking the () Iron Bridge across the Tavronitis River and the end of Maleme Airport runway. See also List of RAF squadrons Notes Bibliography Official Squadron page on the RAF Website. Retrieved 2008-06-25 Ken Delve, D-Day: