Isle of Wight, UK: Three people were killed and one seriously injured after a Robinson R44 II helicopter crashed during a flight lesson near Shanklin on Monday morning, authorities confirmed.
The aircraft, operated by Northumbria Helicopters, had departed from Sandown Airport around 9 a.m. with a pilot and three passengers on board. It went down just before 9:30 a.m. in a field beside a road. The sole survivor was airlifted to University Hospital Southampton’s trauma centre in serious condition, police said.
Eyewitness Leigh Goldsmith told local media he saw the chopper spiral into a hedge moments before impact.
The crash coincided with the Isle of Wight Scooter Rally, a major bank holiday event that drew thousands to the area. Shanklin Town Council described the community as “shocked” by the incident.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has dispatched inspectors to determine the cause of the crash.
