There are fears tonight that up to four people may have been killed in a helicopter crash in the North

A light aircraft spluttered and stalled seconds before it nosedived to the ground, killing three people in the North, an inquest heard today.

The mountainous landscape where a light aircraft crashed with the loss of three lives in south Down must be the subject of a safety probe, the Assembly heard today.

The pilot of the light aircraft which crashed in Co Down last night has been named locally as Hugh McKnight, a 53-year-old retired police officer.