Tributes to female Royal Navy pilot and two other crew members who died when Royal Navy helicopter crashed

Female Royal Navy pilot and crew died in a Devon crash

A female Royal Navy pilot died in a helicopter crash that also killed two male crew members after the aircraft caught fire and plunged to the ground, it is understood.

Debris was scattered across the grass in Sourton Down near Okehampton, Devon, after the Merlin helicopter came down in a training exercise carried out late night on Tuesday and in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, the First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, confirmed the three deaths and sent his ‘deepest condolences’ to the crew’s family and friends.

The King is aware of the crash and will write privately to the families, it is understood – while the Princess of Wales has also expressed her condolences.

Reports have suggested a female pilot and two male crew members were on board. The Ministry of Defence has said there would be ‘a period of grace before further details are released’.

The site of the crash – which shut several local roads including the A30 – is between the Royal Navy’s air bases at Yeovilton in Somerset and Culdrose in Cornwall.

It is also close to Okehampton battle camp, a military facility on the edge of Dartmoor used for training Merlin helicopter crews from the Commando Helicopter Force.

Sir Gwyn, the head of the Navy, said yesterday: ‘I am deeply saddened to share the news that three crew members onboard a Royal Navy Merlin Mk4 helicopter have died after it crashed in the early hours of this morning near Sourton, Devon.

‘I know this will come as a huge shock to all in our Naval community, and my deepest condolences go out to the families, friends and loved ones impacted by this tragedy.

‘I would like to thank Devon and Cornwall Police and the search and rescue teams who responded to the incident this morning. An investigation is under way.’

He added that further updates would be provided ‘in due course’. Police were called to the scene just before 4am and the cause of the incident remains unknown.

Princess Catherine, who is Commander-in-Chief of the Navy’s Fleet Air Arm, posted online: ‘I was so saddened to hear of the tragic loss of three service personnel from the Fleet Air Arm following a helicopter training exercise last night.

‘William and I hold their families and friends in our hearts at this very difficult time.’

The Ministry of Defence said the families of the personnel killed in the incident have been informed. Defence Secretary John Healey said he was ‘devastated’ at the three deaths of personnel who ‘served with excellence and will be much missed’.

An MoD spokesperson said: ‘It is with deep sadness that we can confirm three members of the Royal Navy have died during a helicopter training exercise on Wednesday, June 3 near Sourton, Devon.

‘The families of the service personnel have been informed and have requested a period of grace before further details are released. Our thoughts and sympathies are with their families and friends at this sad time.’

At Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday, Sir Keir Starmer said he was ‘aware of a Royal Navy helicopter crash this morning in Devon’, adding: ‘This will be a deeply worrying time for the families and more information will be set out as soon as possible.’

Residents who live nearby claimed to have heard a ‘loud explosion’ at about 3.15am.

One local told the Daily Mail: ‘Two helicopters last night flew so close to my house that the windows shook and my children were woken by it.

‘Others in the village were also disturbed by it. We semi-regularly have these flights but nothing has been as close or loud or dangerous feeling as last night.’

Another claimed to have heard a helicopter ‘flying very low’. Several road closures were in place around the A386 and A30 Sourton Cross slip and services area.

A further witness, who lives less than a mile from the crash site but who didn’t want to be named, said she was awoken about 4am by a loud noise.

She said: ‘It sounded as if the helicopter was not right as it flew over the house. It was so low it almost took the roof of the house off. The house really shook and there was a huge bang shortly afterwards. 

‘We get a lot of loud noises here and I didn’t think too much about it at the time. It was only when we got up an hour or so later that we found the roads swarming with emergency vehicles.

‘And when we looked over the hill you could see the charred remains of the helicopter. You could tell it was a helicopter because you could identify the tail rotor.

‘Everything else was in bits and so don’t know how anyone could have escaped. The land was scarred by the accident and wreckage strewn over the field.’

She added that it sounded like it was clearly in trouble and it sounded like it was mechanically failing.

Conditions at the time of the crash were said to be atrocious with heavy rain, strong winds and very low visibility.

The field where the helicopter came down was littered with the debris from the impact with parts of the field burnt.

RAF Mountain Rescue personnel were spotted at the scene shortly after 1pm. A white 4×4 vehicle was driving through fields near the crash site looking for clues.

Meanwhile a visitor staying in the nearby Travelodge Okehampton Sourton Cross told how he was shaken out of his bed by the sound of a low-flying helicopter.

The man, who did not want to be named, said: ‘I was woken by the sound of a helicopter about 3.30am and I just thought it was possibly a search and rescue looking for someone on the moors.

‘But then it got louder and louder and became so deafening it shook the room and it felt as though it was directly over the hotel. I didn’t hear anything else but it had been a really filthy night weather-wise with really low cloud and driving rain.

‘We had a couple of power cuts throughout the night and I just put it down to the weather. But when we got up this morning the police were in the foyer saying we couldn’t leave because there was a major investigation going on.

‘They asked us to identify our cars and asked that we stay here until they had lifted their cordon which was about 1.45pm. I don’t know if what I heard was the helicopter looking for a safe place to come down but it was certainly very close to the hotel.’

Witness Eddie Amhof told ITV: ‘By the time I got out of bed and got to the window it sort of moved away a little bit, say half a mile, then all of a sudden no noise at all.

‘The engines was gone and I thought to myself, well that wasn’t long enough for him to disappear out of ear-sight. So the next thing at the same time as the engines went on it, there was this almighty flash of red which lit up the sky.

‘So I assumed from that, worked out obviously that he’d hit the ground. About five to six minutes after that, there was a big bang, an explosion.’

BBC reporter Richard Green told Radio Devon that witnesses claimed to have heard noises sounding like ‘troubled mechanics’ as a helicopter flew over.

He said: ‘A witness I spoke to described it as sounding not right as it flew over his house and it almost took the roof of his house off. He said it sounded like it was clearly in trouble and it sounded like it was mechanically failing.’

The Merlin has a generally good safety record, although in 2024 a Merlin Mk4 ditched while operating from HMS Queen Elizabeth off Dorset with the loss of the pilot.

Merlins have served with the Navy since 2000 and are operated by the Fleet Air Arm, the Navy’s flying part. They are used in anti-submarine and troop-carrying missions.

A Merlin can carry a crew of three and 24 fully laden troops. The type of helicopter has seen active service in Afghanistan. The aircraft can also be used for search and rescue, cargo transfers and maritime patrol.

A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesperson said yesterday: ‘Police were notified at approximately 3.45am this morning, June 3, following reports of a crash involving a Royal Navy helicopter in a field at Sourton Down, near Okehampton in Devon.

‘The incident resulted in a multi-agency response with emergency services still on scene. The Ministry of Defence are also in attendance.

‘Several road closures remain in place in the area, including around the A386 and at the A30 Sourton Cross slip road and services area. Motorists are advised to avoid the area where possible and seek alternative routes. Our enquiries remain ongoing at the scene.’

A Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service statement said: ‘Seven fire appliances from six stations, including one from Cornwall, were mobilised to an incident involving a military helicopter at Sourton Down in the early hours of this morning.

‘Crews worked to extinguish the fire in the field adjacent to the A30 and supported the wider multi-agency response. Several specialist resources were also deployed, including an Environmental Protection Unit, Welfare Unit, Command Unit and an Urban Search and Rescue team. One appliance remains at the scene.’

Credit: Mark Duell and Andy Dolan and Aidan Radnedge, Daily Mail