{"id":28219,"date":"2026-06-06T07:03:41","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T07:03:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/?p=28219"},"modified":"2026-06-06T07:03:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T07:03:41","slug":"britains-only-serving-female-royal-navy-commando-was-just-weeks-from-receiving-her-pilots-wings-when-her-final-training-flight-ended-in-tragedy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/?p=28219","title":{"rendered":"BRITAIN\u2019S ONLY SERVING FEMALE ROYAL NAVY COMMANDO WAS JUST WEEKS FROM RECEIVING HER PILOT\u2019S WINGS WHEN HER FINAL TRAINING FLIGHT ENDED IN TRAGEDY"},"content":{"rendered":"

Helicopter crash soldier was UK\u2019s only female commando and starred on Ninja Warrior<\/h3>\n

Lieutenant Lily-Mae Fisher, 31, was the UK\u2019s only female commando and took part in ultra-marathons in events across the world \u2013 she died in the helicopter crash this week<\/h3>\n
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Lieutenant Lily-Mae FIisher, Royal Navy Commando<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

One of the three people killed in a tragic Royal Navy helicopter crash in Devon was the UK\u2019s only female commando and took part in ultra-marathons.<\/p>\n

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Lieutenant Lily-Mae Fisher, 31, was killed alongside Commander Chris Grayson, 42, and Petty Officer Owen Green, 24 when their Royal Navy Merlin Mk4 crashed into a field in the early hours of Wednesday.<\/p>\n

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As well as being Britain\u2019s only serving female Royal Navy Commando and a skilled athlete, Lily-Mae also starred in\u00a0ITV\u00a0shows Take Me Out and Ninja Warrior UK.<\/p>\n

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Outside her career in the military, Lt Fisher also posted about her participation in ultra-marathons in events across the\u00a0world.<\/p>\n

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Lieutenant Lily-Mae Fisher was due to be awarded her Pilot\u2019s Wings in June(Image: Ministry of Defence\/PA Wire)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Royal Navy told how Lily Mae was \u201cactive\u201d from a young age. \u201cLily-Mae competed for her regional Netball team, and represented England in Junior Lacrosse and Pole Vault. At university she joined the Officer Training Corps and University Air Squadron where she discovered a passion for flying,\u201d it stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cLily-Mae represented Great Britain at the European Age Group Triathlon Championships in September 2021 whilst also completing Elementary Flying Training. During a break in flying training Lily-Mae attended the All Arms Commando Course, becoming Britain\u2019s only serving female Royal Navy Commando.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lily-Mae was tragically killed in a helicopter incident on her final assessment of flying training and was due to be awarded her Pilot\u2019s Wings this month.<\/p>\n

Her family said: \u201cLily-Mae was an extraordinary woman, daughter, sister, and partner. To say she was full of life is an understatement: she took every opportunity to push her limits, achieve more, and bring out the best in those around her.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0Lieutenant Commander Chris Gayson<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWe are so proud of everything she accomplished. She has left an immeasurable hole in our lives, and in all the lives she has touched and inspired. The family kindly ask for time and space at this difficult time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Veteran pilot and war veteran senior officer Lieutenant Commander Chris Grayson, 42, also died in the crash. Lt Cdr Gayson joined the RN as a Warfare (Pilot) Officer in September 2008. He gained his wings in October 2012 and served with 845 NAS flying the Sea King Mk4, which included flying in Norway, Jordan,\u00a0Afghanistan and Embarked Operations.<\/p>\n

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In 2020 he assumed the role of Senior Pilot of Sixty Squadron, where he delivered advanced helicopter training to RAF and Commando Helicopter Force Support Helicopter pilots and upgraded to an \u2018A categorisation\u2019 instructor.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn utmost professional, his leadership of the Operational Conversion Flight was exemplary, and his loss is a huge blow to the Royal Navy, Force, and Squadron,\u201d said the Royal Navy. A statement from his family read: \u201cChris was an extremely kind and gentle family man who loved his entire family dearly. He was also passionate about and dedicated to his job in the Royal Navy.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Petty Officer Owen Green<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Petty Officer Owen Green, 24, also lost his life in the tragic crash. Petty Officer Green joined the Royal Navy in January 2022, beginning initial training at HMS Raleigh. \u201cHe demonstrated a consistently high level of professional competence and dedication throughout his career as an Aircrewman with 845 Naval Air Squadron,\u201d said the Royal Navy.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis deployment on Operation Clockwork 26 was particularly notable; he accumulated the highest-flying hours among his peers in demanding Arctic conditions, earning his Arctic environmental qualification and establishing himself as one of the squadron\u2019s most experienced operators in extreme environments.\u201d<\/p>\n

His family said: \u201cLosing Owen has left us all devastated. His life was far too short, and our hearts will forever be broken. He was a caring and devoted son, brother, grandson, and partner to Iona, whom he loved and cherished.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The scene of the helicopter crash in a field near the A30 in Okehampton(Image: FPS Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cHis kindness, warmth, and character touched everyone who knew him. We are so proud of him achieving his life\u2019s goal to serve in the Royal Navy as a Junglie Aircrewman and are grateful for the joy he brought into ours and Iona\u2019s lives. He is so loved and will remain in our hearts forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

A tribute from the Royal Navy said: \u201cAll three dedicated their lives to serving the Royal Navy and their country. Our thoughts remain with their families, friends and colleagues and we continue to demand their privacy is respected at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Helicopter crash soldier was UK\u2019s only female commando and starred on Ninja Warrior Lieutenant Lily-Mae Fisher, 31, was the UK\u2019s only female commando and took part in… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28220,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28219"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28219\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28221,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28219\/revisions\/28221"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}