A Royal Navy Merlin Mk4 helicopter crashed into a field near Sourton village, Devon, England during a training exercise early on June 3 around 4am BST, killing three Royal Navy personnel [1, 2, 3, 4].
The crash occurred at Sourton Down near Okehampton on the edge of Dartmoor, a regular military helicopter training area [1, 2, 3]. Emergency services including police, fire, and ambulance responded quickly, leading to road closures on the nearby A386 and A30 routes [1, 5, 6, 7].
Flight tracking data suggests the helicopter's tail number was ZJ119 with call sign SWORD 02 before losing signal shortly before the crash [7]. The cause remains unknown as investigations continue, with no official findings released yet [1, 2, 3, 5, 6].
General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, First Sea Lord and head of the Royal Navy, expressed deep sadness, saying, "I am deeply saddened to share the news that three crew members onboard a Royal Navy Merlin Mk4 helicopter have died after it crashed in the early hours of this morning near Sourton, Devon" [4].
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the incident "deeply worrying" and offered sympathy to the families, adding, "This will be a deeply worrying time for the families and more information will be set out as soon as possible" [3].
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said, "Our thoughts and sympathies are with their families and friends at this sad time" [2]. Families of the victims have requested privacy before further details are released [3, 4].
The helicopter was conducting a routine training exercise when it crashed, as confirmed by multiple sources [2, 3, 4]. The Ministry of Defence confirmed the aircraft belonged to the Royal Navy and that an investigation is underway [1, 2, 3].
Emergency services were alerted at 3:45am BST and arrived promptly at the crash site [4]. The last radar contact was recorded shortly before 3:40am BST near the crash area [7]. Road closures on A386 and A30 routes remain in place as recovery and investigation efforts continue [1, 5, 7].
