Father and son among dead in helicopter crash

A father and son were among four people killed when a helicopter crashed into hills in the UK in bad weather, it emerged today.

The privately-owned Jet Ranger 206B was reported missing yesterday afternoon after setting off from Gloucestershire Airport in Staverton, Cheltenham, at around 7am.

The wreckage was found this morning in the Blackdown Hills near Corfe in Somerset. The bodies of the male pilot and the three crew – two men and a 15-year-old boy – have been recovered.

The victims are from the Gloucestershire area and a police spokeswoman said the boy’s father was one of the victims, but the other two men were not thought to be related.

The four bodies were found on board the aircraft which was intended to be brought back to Staverton at 6.30pm yesterday after the flight bound for Torbay.

It is believed the helicopter stopped somewhere in Devon before heading back to Gloucestershire and crashing in Somerset.

The RAF and police, using a helicopter and search and rescue teams, worked through the day and night but their search was hampered by bad weather.

There had been unconfirmed reports of a “loud bang” after a helicopter flew over the Taunton area.

A number of flying clubs and schools are based at the Staverton airport but the helicopter, which is based at a hangar there, was on a private flight.

In a statement Gloucestershire Airport said: “Gloucestershire Police are currently liaising with the families and we wish to express our sincere condolences to all those affected by this tragic accident.”

A spokesman said the helicopter had left Staverton at around 7am and was on its return leg of a round trip to Devon when the accident happened, thought to be between 1pm and 3pm.

He believes the aircraft stopped in Topsham and the crew decided to return rather than go on to Torbay. He said the weather conditions had “not been looking good” despite a bright start in Gloucestershire in the morning.

He said the helicopter was regularly used and believed it was being flown by an experienced pilot.

A spokeswoman for PA WeatherCentre said the weather in the area on Saturday was bad with heavy rain, some snow over high ground and some wind.

Police will now work with the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) to establish the circumstances leading to the incident.

The AAIB is part of the British Department for Transport and is responsible for the investigation of civil aircraft accidents and serious incidents within the UK.

A Department for Transport spokeswoman said: “The AAIB will be sending a team now and fully investigating it.”