Army officer killed by reversing tank with faulty safety systems

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 26 Oct, 20:44 · Archive

Second Lieutenant Max George, 26, was crushed by a reversing Warrior tank with nine safety faults during a training exercise at Salisbury Plain in June 2022.

Second Lieutenant Max George, 26, from County Durham, was killed when a Warrior tank reversed over him during a training exercise at Salisbury Plain on 21 June 2022. He was exiting the armoured vehicle while holding open its 143kg rear door to retrieve his weapon when the tank's commander ordered it to reverse at speed. The driver and commander did not realise the officer was still at the rear of the vehicle, in a blind spot.

An inquest heard the tank had nine known faults in its safety systems. The most significant was a rear-door alarm that should have alerted the driver when the doors were open. This alarm had been broken since June 2018, when the alarm cable first snapped. Other faults included a rear-door locking plunger that would not release, preventing the doors from being locked in position. Lieutenant Colonel Graham Watson, who led a service inquiry, told the court that none of these faults had been classified as requiring the vehicle to be taken out of service immediately.

George was part of 5 Rifles and was taking part in Exercise Combat Spirit. He had been ordered to take command on the ground as two groups of soldiers converged on a target. The inquest heard that the broken alarm had not been given top priority status, so the tank could still be used despite the faults.

How it is being reported

• Army officer 'killed by reversing armoured vehicle' in training exercise horrorSecond Lieutenant Max George, from County Durham, was part of 5 Rifles when he was killed during a training exercise at Salisbury PlainThe Mirror · 26 Oct, 20:29
• 'Star' Army officer was killed when a tank with nine faults reversed over him in army training exercise, inquest hears'Utterly exceptional' Second Lieutenant Max George was tragically struck down and crushed by a reversing Warrior FV511 at Salisbury Plain in June 2022, moments after he exited the tank's rear.Daily Mail · 26 Oct, 15:21

In this story: Second Lieutenant Max George · 5 Rifles · Salisbury Plain · Wiltshire · County Durham · Lieutenant Colonel Graham Watson

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