An RAF source said the incident took place during a training sortie for a "relatively inexperienced co-pilot." After completing a number of flying exercises and the beach landing he was being debriefed by his Captain. The source said: "During the period of the in-cockpit debrief one of the rear crew departed the aircraft for refreshments. Clearly, this is not a routine occurrence but the crew were not breaking any rules. A spokesman said: "SAR (search and rescue) crews complete a variety of training sorties when not completing life saving operations. Crews are often required to land on beaches during SAR operations and they regularly practise this skill as part of routine training sorties. Whilst the actions of the rear crew (not pilots as widely reported) to obtain refreshments during this sortie were not standard practice, it should be noted that they were not in breach of regulations.