Levin described the sound as it touched down as “thunderous”.
“It was incredibly loud,” she said. “It was so loud that it blew all the plants away from my terrace.”
At first, the couple thought it was an air ambulance.
“But knowing it was some kind of military, you just think all sorts of things,” said Levin.
“Because the world is like it is at the moment, we didn’t know what was going to happen.
“And watching that spy film at the same time… It was like we were in some sort of 3D movie.”
Once their nerves had calmed, Levin and her husband went for a closer look, where the crew told them they had been forced to land because of a fault with the gearbox.
The following morning, they delivered tea and cakes to the stranded service personnel, who were still waiting for a repair team to arrive.
Another Chinook later brought supplies and rations and helped set up a temporary camp in the field.
“And they’re still there,” said Levin. “I don’t know how long it’s going to be, because if you look at it now it’s quite a mess down there.”
