Originally published on January 08, 2014
A U.S. helicopter generally used for rescue missions in war zones has crashed in a coastal nature reserve marshland area in Norfolk, near the town of Cley-next-to-the-Sea in eastern England's Norfolk county.
The U.S. military helicopter took off from RAF Lakenheath air base and was carrying four airmen. It was initially believed the aircraft ditched into the sea. Later reports said the crash site was actually on land, in a marshland area not far from the coastline.
Reuters reports that four U.S. airmen were taking part in a low-flying helicopter training exercise when their aircraft went down at around 7 p.m. on Tuesday. There is speculation a bird strike may have contributed to the crash, but investigators have not yet been able to access the crash site.
The U.S. military confirmed the downed helicopter was a USAF Pave Hawk HH60, a craft that's commonly used in rescue and evacuation missions. A spokesperson also confirmed that all occupants in the helicopter are likely dead.
UK police have sealed off a wide area near the site where the helicopter went down as the aircraft was carrying live ammunition which police say could pose a risk to local residents. Local news reports say UK police and fire services took part in the rescue while three Royal National Lifeboats were also deployed by the coast guard.
The aircraft, part of the 48th Air Wing of the U.S. Air Force, took off from the RAF Lakenheath air base, a UK station that has hosted U.S. Air Forces for over 50 years.
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