Commander Paddy McWilliams

Commander Paddy McWilliams Royal Navy is the SO1 Maritime and Chief of Staff at the Defence Accident Investigation Branch (DAIB), where he leads maritime safety investigation.

A highly experienced Royal Navy officer with 40 years’ service, he brings a breadth of operational and aviation expertise. He began his career as a Weapons Engineering Artificer in the Submarine Service, later commissioning and qualifying as a Fleet Air Arm Observer. He has accrued over 4,300 flying hours in maritime Lynx and Wildcat helicopters, predominantly as an aircraft commander; this extensive experience in embarked aviation includes instruction, standards assurance, and test and evaluation.

His operational service includes deployments in the Continuous At Sea Deterrent, the Falkland Islands, Arabian Gulf, Mediterranean, Sierra Leone, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He has held key leadership appointments, including Flight Commander HMS MONTROSE, Executive Officer Naval Flying Standards Flight, and Naval Test and Evaluation Flight Commander, where he led complex trials and risk management programmes.

Since joining DAIB in 2023, he has specialised in accident investigation and safety management. He holds an MSc in Aerospace Technology, is a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation and has been recognised as a Master Air Navigator by the Honourable Company of Air Pilots.