The Italian air force crews who serve UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) have an excellent record of service. Wednesday night's fatal crash was only the third accident in almost 20 years of service in the strife-torn area. The two previous incidents were "forced landings" and were without casualties.
The Italians are popular in UNIFIL. They provide the air ambulance service and have saved hundreds of lives of UN soldiers injured in the frequent bombardments in the UN area of operations.
Dozens of Irish soldiers owe their lives to the Italian crews who fly medical evacuation missions through the haphazard shell and mortar firing that is commonplace in the area.
There are around 50 Italians comprising five flight crews and ground support. The unit has four aircraft.
The Italian helicopter unit, known as Italair, is based at UNIFIL headquarters in the coastal town of Naqoura. Every few minutes aircraft take off, circling out to sea to avoid fire from local pro-Israeli or Islamic militias who developed a habit of shooting at the helicopters in the early days of the UNIFIL mission.
In recent years such attacks have become less frequent, but the flight path from Beirut to Naqoura still takes the Italair aircraft about a mile out over the Mediterranean.
The Italians are accustomed to emergency calls, bringing seriously injured personnel to the UN hospital in Naqoura.
The fatal flight was a routine exercise to posts in the Irish Battalion area. The helicopter crews have to acquaint themselves with the landing pads in all UN posts, some of which are perched on the sides or tops of rocky hills. Wednesday's operation was a weekly night-time training exercise.
The Bell Agusta, with its four Italian crew members and Irish passenger, flew in darkness to the landing pad at the Irish post known as 6-44, near the village of At Tiri. It descended to about a metre off the landing pad, the crew waved to the Irish soldiers on the ground and then it took off again.
It travelled north towards the next Irish post, 6-41, which is on a rocky hill known simply to UN personnel as Hill 880, because its summit is 880 metres above sea level. It was due to repeat the same exercise here before going to the Irish Battalion HQ where Sgt Lynch was to alight.
It was seen ascending and gaining considerable height after leaving At Tiri, then apparently spin out of control and descend rapidly into one of the deep gorges in the area, known as wadis.
The Irish company commander nearest the crash scene, Cmdt Joe Buckley, immediately sent a search party with members of his company reserve to the wadi.
Cmdt Buckley's unit was quickly followed by an Irish Army medic, Dr Alan Woodhead, but there was no need for further medical assistance as all five men died instantly.