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Two dead in helicopter crash off Flamborough in East Yorkshire, say police
Two dead in helicopter crash off Flamborough in East Yorkshire, say police
(about 1 hour later)
Two men died when a helicopter crashed into the sea today, police said.
The bodies of two men who died in a helicopter crash off the coast of East Yorkshire have been recovered from the aircraft, according to police.
Their bodies were recovered from the aircraft shortly after 5pm, a Humberside Police spokesman said.
The private charter helicopter was flying from Edinburgh when it crashed near Selwick Bay, Flamborough between the lighthouse and Flamborough Head golf course at around 1.40pm.
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.
It was due to refuel at Humberside Airport before continuing to its destination near Retford, Nottinghamshire.
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.
A huge rescue operation involving the air ambulance, the coast guard and air sea rescue was launched "right away", according to a police spokesman.
This included a Sea King helicopter from RAF Leconfield in East Yorkshire as well as other emergency services.
"A search was carried out which resulted in the helicopter being located in the sea off the coast of Flamborough near the light house," he added.
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 men’s bodies were retrieved shortly after 5pm.
“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.
Chris Palmer, 33, a builder from Dunswell, East Yorkshire, said he heard a loud "crack" as the helicopter crashed.
The Sea King has returned to the crash scene."
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 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.
"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."
"A coastguard officer was winched down to assess the crash site by the search and rescue helicopter from Leconfield."
A Sea King helicopter from RAF Leconfield in East Yorkshire, which was on a training exercise nearby the crash, joined the emergency services during the operation, a Ministry of Defence spokesman said.
A spokeswoman for Yorkshire Air Ambulance also had a crew at the scene and two lifeboats were launched.
A coastguard officer was winched down to assess the crash site by the search and rescue helicopter from Leconfield, according to the Maritime Coastguard agency, and Yorkshire Air Ambulance crews in two lifeboats also attended the scene.
Chris Palmer, 33, a builder from Dunswell, East Yorkshire, said he was in shock after seeing the helicopter crash.
Humberside Police said the crash site was potentially unsafe due to dangerous cliff edges and aviation fuel in the water and appealed to members of the public to avoid the area.
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 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.
“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.”
Additional reporting by PA
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.
