Prince William’s ex-flying instructor dies of cancer aged 47 after ‘years of inhaling toxic fumes’

PRINCE William's subject flying teacher has died of crab aft years of vulnerability to toxic chopper exhaust fumes.

Flight Sergeant Zach Stubbings passed distant aged 47 aft implicit a decennary of battling aggregate myeloma - crab of the humor and bony marrow.

The dad-of-three was diagnosed successful 2013, thirteen years aft joining the RAF Search and Rescue.

Zach trained Prince William erstwhile helium was based astatine RAF Valley successful Anglesey from 2010 to 2013.

The aboriginal King regularly flew Sea King helicopters - the aforesaid aircrafts arsenic Zach.

Zach's passing was announced by Richard Sutton, a erstwhile Navy Commander and aviator who was besides diagnosed with crab 12 years ago.

Richard has epithelioid fibrosarcoma - a vicious crab that often starts successful the bony earlier spreading elsewhere.

Richard called Zach a "lively and bubbly guy" and said that his decease was "yet different blow" for his woman Anna-Louise, who tragically mislaid her archetypal hubby and seven-year-old successful a car clang successful 2015.

Richard and Zach are not unsocial - hundreds of chap members of the Armed Forces person besides been diagnosed with uncommon and deadly cancers which they assertion were caused by vulnerability to fumes.

As good arsenic aggregate myeloma, erstwhile work men and women who person flown Sea King, Wessex and Puma and Chinook helicopters person been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, pharynx cancer, lung crab and testicular cancer.

Prince William has been pictured flying Sea King helicopters successful the aboriginal 2010s.

Zach antecedently told MailOnline that helium was often surrounded by achromatic exhaust fumes.

In an interrogation past year, helium told the publication: "If you're by the cargo door, the exhaust comes close through.

"Even worse, if you're moving connected the winch, which I was, you're putting your caput close retired into it.

"We had to cleanable everything. It didn't consciousness right. There was nary protection, nothing. We each complained astir it."

He said however helium would often get "a look full" of the sooty fumes, noting the dreadful smell.

Zach and Richard acceptable up a Whatsapp chat called Fly Hard, Fight Hard successful 2013 to stock enactment and rise consciousness with different colleagues.

The group, which had the motto 'Shoulder to Shoulder', contained 3 different unit members who had been diagnosed with pharynx and lung cancers - contempt ne'er smoking.

Tragically, 2 of the archetypal 5 died successful 2023 and 4 others besides died successful the past 20 months.

Richard's illness started successful his cervix and dispersed crossed his jaw and bosom - with 1 pharynx tumour truthful ample that helium struggled to breathe.

After doctors told him that it was inoperable owed to the proximity to a large humor vas connected to the brain, helium started saying his goodbyes to his family.

Thankfully, the determination was overruled and a squad of surgeons operated and were capable to region the tumour entirely.

Richard, who flew Sea King aircrafts, said the helicopters burned aviation fuel, which helium explained would billow done the doors.

Last year, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) launched a probe into each subject helicopters that whitethorn person emitted toxic exhaust fumes, arsenic reported by The Times.

An MoD spokesperson said: “Any decease is simply a calamity and our thoughts are with the household and friends of Zack Stubbins astatine this hard time.

“We instrumentality the wellness of our unit highly earnestly and regularly reappraisal our processes to guarantee that we’re doing what we tin to support our radical safe.

“We are successful the process of investigating the exhaust emissions of in-service helicopters, to guarantee that we are gathering our work of attraction for personnel.

"It is indispensable that we tin guarantee our radical of their information astatine work.”

The Sun has approached the MoD for comment.