Ross Kemp visit affected 'focus' of Apache helicopter crash crew, report finds

The focus of an Apache helicopter crew that crashed in Afghanistan in September 2008 was affected by a visit from actor Ross Kemp, according to a report into the incident from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) board of inquiry.

The former EastEnders actor was one of a number of visitors to the helicopter on September 4 2008, the report says.

The MoD board of inquiry found that a major cause of the accident was "disorientation" experienced by the pilot when "he entered a dust cloud during a transition".

However, referring to Kemp's visit, it added: "Whilst not a distraction at the time of the accident the Board believes it was a contributory factor to the overall focus of the crew."

Both crew members - including the pilot - escaped the crash which saw the helicopter lose its tail and suffer severe damage to its rotor blades, with minor injuries.

Responding to the report an MoD spokesman said: "Our highly skilled pilots are trained to deal with all kinds of emergency situations and incidents like this are extremely rare.

"To suggest that this was caused by the filming of a documentary would be disingenuous."