Instructor Steven Lewis, 38, made a mayday call 20 minutes into the training flight from Blackpool Airport.

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The Christos sent a Mayday call that was picked up by Brixham coastguards who have been co-ordinating the rescue.

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Investigators have been unable to establish why a mayday call was made from a helicopter before it crashed in Lancashire, killing two people.

BBC: Mystery over Lancashire crash helicopter's mayday call

Needing time to calmly consider his options, Capt Moody used autopilot to put the plane into a gentle descent, and instructed his first officer to issue a mayday call.

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Pentagon officials said it was five minutes after the time of impact before the mayday call was issued, indicating the pilot was struggling to regain control of the crippled plane.

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They attempted to anchor at Stepper Point in the Camel estuary but a gearbox failure meant they were quickly driven onto rocks just outside Padstow and forced to issue a mayday call at about 04.45 BST.

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"Sully" Sullenberger is heard issuing a "mayday" call and telling air traffic controllers that the flight had lost power in both engines, Higgins said.

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On the tape, Sullenberger is heard issuing a "mayday" call and telling air traffic controllers the flight had lost power in both engines, Higgins said.

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