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Helicopter crashes into sea off Flamborough in East Yorkshire Two dead in helicopter crash off Flamborough in East Yorkshire, say police
(34 minutes later)
A helicopter has crashed into the sea at the foot of cliffs as golfers at a nearby course looked on in horror. Two men died when a helicopter crashed into the sea today, police said.
The crash, at Flamborough in East Yorkshire, led to a major emergency services operation, with a coastguard officer being winched down by helicopter to assess the crash site. Their bodies were recovered from the aircraft shortly after 5pm, a Humberside Police spokesman said.
Golfers at Flamborough Head Golf Club said they thought the small helicopter, believed to be returning to Humberside Airport, had been trying to land near the club's 17th green. The helicopter, which was believed to have started its flight in Scotland, was on its way to Humberside Airport when the accident happened at around 1.40pm.
Witness Chris Palmer said he heard a loud "crack" and then the helicopter disappeared out of sight behind the cliffs. A witness said one body had been recovered from the JetRanger helicopter which came down at high tide at Flamborough in East Yorkshire, sparking a huge rescue operation.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: “The Humber Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre received a call at 1.40pm that a small helicopter had gone into the water below the cliff, between the lighthouse and Flamborough Head golf course. This included a Sea King helicopter from RAF Leconfield in East Yorkshire as well as other emergency services.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “A search-and-rescue Sea King helicopter from RAF Leconfield (in East Yorkshire) was on a training exercise and was very quickly on the scene.
“The tide was high and the Sea King crew were not able to recover anybody from the helicopter before having to return to Leconfield to refuel.
The Sea King has returned to the crash scene."
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: "The Humber Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre received a call at 1.40pm that a small helicopter had gone into the water below the cliff, between the lighthouse and Flamborough Head golf course.
"A coastguard officer was winched down to assess the crash site by the search and rescue helicopter from Leconfield.""A coastguard officer was winched down to assess the crash site by the search and rescue helicopter from Leconfield."
A spokeswoman for Yorkshire Air Ambulance confirmed they also had a crew at the scene. A spokeswoman for Yorkshire Air Ambulance also had a crew at the scene and two lifeboats were launched.
The RNLI said two lifeboats had been launched, from Flamborough and Bridlington. Chris Palmer, 33, a builder from Dunswell, East Yorkshire, said he was in shock after seeing the helicopter crash.
Mr Palmer told BBC Radio 5 Live: “We heard the helicopter. It was like a white, private helicopter going along the coast. We all heard this really loud crack and looked up again. He went on: “I was with my parents, we all saw the helicopter flying along the coastline, we heard a big crack and saw the helicopter start to descend like a plane and go behind the cliffs.
“The helicopter started to descend, almost like a plane when it lands. It then went behind the cliff and that's when I called the emergency services.” “By the time I got to the cliffs, there was no sign of it because it had gone under the water. We're in shock that it's happened. It's an absolute tragedy.”
Humberside Police said the crash area had been cordoned off. Members of the public were asked to stay away due to dangerous cliff edges and aviation fuel in the water. Mr Palmer described the helicopter as white, with no markings, and said he believed it was privately owned.
Golfers at Flamborough Head Golf Club said they thought the helicopter had been trying to land near the club's 17th green.
Rod Marwood, 67, the course chairman at the club said he was about 400 yards away when the helicopter crashed.
He said: "There were quite a few members out on the course and we see helicopters flying backwards and forwards all the time. This one was just a small, two to four seater one flying along. I didn't really take much notice of it when all of a sudden the engine noise changed.
"When I looked, it was already starting to bank a little bit. I thought it was trying to land on the edge of the golf course but it disappeared over the side of the cliffs.
"I didn't hear anything but I think it hit the cliffs before it went into the sea and then there was a smell of aviation fuel."
Mr Marwood said the site of the crash was at the bottom of 250-ft high sheer cliffs.
A spokeswoman for the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) confirmed that a team had been sent to the scene to investigate.
The accident is the latest in a series of helicopter crashes in recent months. The worst was the Glasgow incident last November when a helicopter on a police operation crashed on to the roof of a pub. Ten people died.
PAPA