“We must report with great sadness that a member of the Royal Navy has passed away following a training incident last night,” the navy stated.
Our sympathies are with the family, who have been notified, as well as everyone else impacted during this difficult time. A thorough inquiry will be conducted.
According to information obtained by News, the Merlin Mk4 helicopter carrying three persons was involved in a ditching into the Channel close to Dorset. The rescue effort received assistance from HM Coastguard.
The other two crew members were sent to a hospital, but the navy stated that there were no other fatalities or major injuries.
The deceased’s family has been notified; they have not been given a name.
Two Merlin helicopters from Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton were operational off the coast of Dorset Friday night, according to aircraft monitoring. Both helicopters took off at 8:40 p.m. and vanished from view at 8:52 p.m.
A military helicopter joined the search at around 10.15 p.m., after a search and rescue chopper from Solent Airport arrived at around 9.25 p.m.
At approximately 10.30 p.m., two more helicopters—one from Portland and one from Cornwall—began their search.
