Three Royal Navy Personnel Killed in Helicopter Crash During Training Exercise in Devon
Three Royal Navy personnel have died after a Merlin Mk4 helicopter crashed during a nighttime training exercise in Devon, the Ministry of Defence confirmed on Friday.
Emergency services were called to Sourton Down, near Okehampton, around 3:45 a.m. local time after the aircraft went down in a field. The crash site is close to Okehampton Battle Camp, a military training facility on the edge of Dartmoor regularly used by Commando Helicopter Force crews.
In a statement, a Royal Navy spokesperson said: “It is with deep sadness that we can confirm three members of the Royal Navy have died during a helicopter training exercise. The families of the service personnel have been informed and have requested a period of grace before further details are released. Our thoughts and sympathies are with their families and friends at this sad time.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described the incident as “utterly tragic” on social media platform X, adding that his “thoughts are with the families, friends and loved ones of the three members of the Royal Navy who sadly lost their lives.”
The head of the Royal Navy, General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, said the news would come as “a huge shock to all in our naval community.” He offered “deepest condolences” to the families and friends impacted, and confirmed the helicopter was a Merlin Mk4, which are typically based at RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset. He also thanked Devon and Cornwall Police and the search-and-rescue teams that responded.
Defence Secretary John Healey said he was “devastated by the loss of three service personnel.”
The Merlin helicopter has been in service with the Royal Navy since 1999, with two variants currently in use — the Mk2 and Mk4. The Mk2, an anti-submarine platform, is operated by the Merlin Helicopter Force at RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall, while the Mk4 is used by the Commando Helicopter Force at RNAS Yeovilton for Royal Marine operations. Military helicopters frequently train in the area between those two bases, which spans across northern Dartmoor.
Witnesses near the scene described hearing noises that sounded like “troubled mechanics” as the helicopter passed overhead. One local resident said the aircraft “sounded not right” and “almost took the roof off” his home.
The crash is not the first involving a Merlin Mk4. In September 2024, a similar helicopter ditched in the English Channel during a training exercise, killing Lieutenant Rhodri Leyshon. Earlier incidents include a 2004 crash at RNAS Culdrose that left two crew members trapped and three others injured, and a 2000 ditching off the coast of Skye from which all five crew were rescued.
Devon and Cornwall Police Chief Constable James Vaughan confirmed that emergency services, the Royal Navy and the Civil Aviation Authority attended the scene. “We continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding that crash,” he said.
Devon and Somerset Fire Service said seven engines from six stations were dispatched, along with specialist resources including an Environmental Protection Unit, a Welfare Unit, a Command Unit and an Urban Search and Rescue team. One appliance remained at the scene as of Friday afternoon.
The A386 between the A30 at Sourton Down and the A3079 Fowley Cross in Okehampton was closed around 4:30 a.m. but reopened about 13:30 p.m. National Highways said the eastbound exit slip road of the A30 remained closed. Staff at Sourton Cross Service Station near the crash site said the services were inaccessible.
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Devon and Cornwall Police
Royal Navy