Three dead in helicopter crash

Three men have been killed in a civilian helicopter crash near a village in Hampshire.
The pilot and two passengers were killed in the twin squirrel helicopter which crashed head first into the ground at Doiley Woods, near Hurstbourne Tarrant, north of Andover.

A member of the public reported the accident in a field near the Essebourne Manor Hotel at about 1438 GMT on Tuesday.

The helicopter had left Thruxton airfield.

Three ambulance crews arrived at the scene, along with fire crews to find the small aircraft well alight.

A Hampshire Ambulance spokesman said: “We responded to a call at 14.34 to reports of a helicopter crash in a field at Doiley Woods, near Hurstbourne Tarrant in Hampshire.

“The crew arrived eight minutes later to find that a helicopter had crashed upside down in the field and had burst into flames.”

Police have now set up a cordon around the area and a section of the A343 road from Andover to Newbury in Berkshire has been closed.

After the fire was extinguished by Hampshire Fire and Rescue, police carried out a search with police dogs for a third person thought to be trapped under the wreckage.

Eyewitness Jenny Butterworth saw a plume of smoke and flames.

No signs of life

She said: “I gather that there were two people. Somebody who went up said they were dead already.

“I thought at first it was a military one but I gather it wasn’t.”

Hampshire ambulance paramedic Tim Jones, who is based in Andover, was one of the first emergency service personnel on the scene.

He said: “When we arrived the helicopter was completely engulfed in flames. We had to stand by while the firefighters came to put out the flames.

“We then went to check for signs of life but obviously there were none which was very frustrating for us.

He added: “The helicopter came down at the edge of a wood and the front part was embedded in the ground.

“It was just unfortunate there was nothing we could do to help.”

The Air Accident Investigation Branch is expected to examine the incident and later publish an accident report.

A police spokesman said the dead men may not be formally identified until Thursday