Devon town in shock as military training becomes national tragedy

"We're used to helicopters flying over but you don't expect it to end like this"

06:00, 04 Jun 2026

The police cordon near the crash site yesterday(Image: Matt Gilley/FPS Images)

Residents living near the scene of the Royal Navy crash[1] have spoken of their shock and disbelief after three people were confirmed to have died.

Many people in Okehampton[2] spoke of hearing the distinctive buzz of military helicopters overhead on Tuesday night, but none could have predicted the outcome as a training exercise became a national tragedy.

Police officers, firefighters and Ministry of Defence staff have been at the scene just off the A30 since the Merlin Mk4 helicopter crashed[3] at around 3.45am yesterday morning (Wednesday, June 3).

It happened near Sourton Down, close to Okehampton[4]. People spoke of their devastation during DevonLive's visit to the town yesterday, after the Ministry of Defence confirmed three members of the Royal Navy died during a helicopter training exercise.

Several people said they had woken up to the sound of a loud 'buzz' overnight.

One person said: "Helicopters were buzzing around most of the evening. You could hear it at the top end of the town between 11pm and 1am."

Another said: "I heard lots of helicopters.

When I heard there were some road closures, your ears prick up because you have to check if the kids can get to school."

Emergency services at the scene of the Royal Navy helicopter crash(Image: Tom Wren / SWNS)

Nigel, who was holidaying with partner Fiona in the area, told DevonLive: "The noise woke me up, it was fairly loud as something went overhead. I said 'what's it doing flying around at this time?", which he said was around 11pm.

Flight trackers suggest more than one Merlin Mk4 was airborne in the area that night, likely as a result of the same training, but the military activity itself would not have been a cause for concern.

Okehampton is very close to Okehampton[5] Camp, so hearing helicopters overhead is not uncommon.

Michelle, a local, said: "It's just tragic. We're used to helicopters flying over as a regular occurrence, but you don't expect for it to end like this.

"My boy has just done cadets, Ten Tors, it just makes you think it could be them one day.

"We're used to it, and we always get people asking about helicopters."

Linda French, 66, who working on maintaining the courtyard inside Red Lion Yard, said: "It's a terrible thing you just don't expect.

They do training all the time.

"You would think helicopters are safer than planes. It was such an awful thing to hear about."

Vincent Rossiter-Stead added: "I'm very saddened to hear it, I'm very sad for them. It was a crash of huge magnitude."

Another Okehampton resident echoed: "It was very sad, we see them doing circuits sometimes.

It's such a shame"

Roads were closed in the area, including the A30 and A386, which reopened yesterday afternoon.

The team at Sourton Down Caravan and Camping Park, which fell inside yesterday's road closures, said they've not yet had time to process the tragedy.

A staff member said: "I heard the air ambulance about quarter to six and it was hovering for about 45 minutes to an hour.

"I've not really processed it, if you know what I mean. It's really, really sad.

"We're really sorry and offer our condolences to the families that are involved. As my wife said, we might be having a bad day, but, you know, people are in a lot worse situations."

Another resident in Okehampton, Chris, added: "It's tragic, I just feel for the families."

According to flight trackers, one Merlin lifted off close to the A386, north of Sourton Down, just after 2am.

It was tracked travelling over Okehampton before circling several times just north-east of Copplestone and disappearing off the tracker in that location at 2.22am.

It is unclear if this was the Merlin involved in the crash - it was not until more than an hour later, at 3.45am this morning, that police were notified of the incident.

The airbase of those who died has not been identified, though the crash site sits between the Royal Navy's locations at Yeovilton in Somerset and Culdrose in Cornwall.

RNAS Yeovilton shared the Royal Navy's statement on Facebook and Yeovil's MP has also offered condolences[6].

An MoD spokesperson said yesterday: "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."

The head of the Navy, General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, added: "I know this will come as a huge shock to all in our Naval community, and my deepest condolences go out to the families, friends and loved ones impacted by this tragedy.

"I would like to thank Devon and Cornwall Police and the search and rescue teams who responded to the incident.

"An investigation is under way and further updates will be provided in due course."

References

1. ^ Royal Navy crash (www.devonlive.com)
2. ^ Okehampton (www.devonlive.com)
3. ^ Merlin Mk4 helicopter crashed (www.devonlive.com)
4. ^ Okehampton (www.devonlive.com)
5. ^ Okehampton (www.devonlive.com)
6. ^ Yeovil's MP has also offered condolences (www.somersetlive.co.uk)