Live ammo littering Norwich helicopter crash scene

The helicopter which crashed during a training exercise on the north Norfolk coast, killing four, was carrying live ammunition at the time, officials report..

The helicopter which crashed during a training exercise on the UK's north Norfolk coast, killing four, was carrying live ammunition at the time, officials report..

Captains Christopher S. Stover and Sean M. Ruane, Technical Sergeant Dale E. Mathews and Staff Sergeant Afton M. Ponce died when their Pave Hawk helicopter came down on a marsh near Cley-next-the-Sea on Tuesday night.

Air accident, RAF and US investigators spent yesterday at the scene of the

tragedy, where debris is believed to have been strewn across an area the size of a football pitch.

The investigation has been hampered by munitions the helicopter was carrying on board, with bullets scattered around the scene.

A 400-metre police cordon is expected to remain in place at the scene until Monday and the public have been asked to stay away.

Norfolk Police said this morning that the attempt to recover the bodies is under way. It is understood that all four bodies are close together.

Colonel Kyle Robinson said the helicopters frequently carried live ammunition as part of their routine training exercises.

The Pave Hawk which came down was carrying 600 rounds of standard 50 calibre bullets and a 9mm sidearm with 15 bullets.

There have been reports from local residents who heard “noises” coming from the helicopters overhead.

Col Robinson said the base had not received any radio reports to indicate that the helicopter suffered any problems before the crash.

He said: “We have not received anything like that. The investigation is still early on but I am not aware of anything that was said along those lines.”

The colonel said there were no plans to fly the four Pave Hawk helicopters for the rest of the week to give crew and the families time to come to terms with the incident.