NEED TO KNOW
- A 70-year-old man has died and three other people were injured after a helicopter crashed into a large field in England
- The pilot, a 41-year-old man, as well as a 58-year-old woman and a 10-year-old boy, sustained minor injuries in the crash
- The aircraft took off from Retford Gamston Airport and traveled about 25 miles before the crash
A 70-year-old man has died and three other people were injured after a helicopter crashed into a large field in England.
Emergency services were called to a field in Bentley, Doncaster, around 10:15 a.m. local time on Thursday, Oct. 30, after the helicopter crashed, according to a statement issued by South Yorkshire Police.
A 70-year-old man suffered serious injuries in the crash, police said, and was later pronounced dead at the scene. Police did not release the victim’s name, but did share that his family had been notified of the accident.
The pilot, a 41-year-old man, as well as a 58-year-old woman and a 10-year-old boy, sustained minor injuries in the crash, police said.
The aircraft had taken off from Retford Gamston Airport, located about 25 miles away in Nottinghamshire, just before the crash, the BBC reported.
FlightRadar24 data obtained by the London Standard shows the helicopter switched on its transponder shortly after takeoff, then seemingly flew over Doncaster before “disappearing” from radar at around 10:08 a.m., per the outlet.
Curtis Borkowski, who was working on a construction site nearby, told the BBC that he had seen the helicopter flying overhead about ten minutes before hearing about the crash.
“As it flew over Doncaster, the engine sounded really bad,” he said.
Local resident Lee Needham also told the BBC that the crash site was close to houses, train tracks, industrial units and electrical towers.
“Whoever was piloting the helicopter more than likely saved numerous lives,” Needham said.
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Retford Gamston Airport confirmed to the BBC that the crash involved an aircraft that is housed on its property.
“We can confirm an aircraft based here, operated by an onsite tenant, has been involved in an incident,” a spokesperson for the airport said. “We’ve no further information at this time.”
Police Det. Insp. Matt Bolger asked anyone who saw the crash or had information about the incident to reach out to investigators, including those with South Yorkshire Police and the U.K. government’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).
“We are particularly keen to hear from those with footage of the helicopter leading up to the crash,” Bolger said in a statement.
“Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of the man who sadly died in this tragic incident,” Bolger added.
A team of aircraft operations experts was being deployed to the crash site to conduct an investigation, a spokesperson for the AAIB told the BBC.
Local representative Rebecca Booth said that there were “a lot of people in shock” following the crash.
“It’s a lovely, thriving community and everyone sticks together,” she said. “Things like this will have an impact on people.”
Member of Parliament Ed Miliband called the incident “devastating” in a post shared to Facebook on Thursday.
“My thoughts are with the family and friends of the victim of this terrible incident,” he wrote. “My office are in touch with the relevant authorities including South Yorkshire Police, and I know the whole of Doncaster will be united in having the victim in their thoughts today.”
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