United Kingdom AW101 Merlin HC4/4A/HM2 Fleet Update

A Royal Navy AW101 Merlin HC4 of the Commando Helicopter Force crashed into a field at Sourton Down, near Okehampton on the edge of Dartmoor, at approximately 03:45 BST on 3 June 2026, during a night training exercise. All three Royal Navy personnel on board — a Lieutenant Commander, a Lieutenant undergoing her final training evaluation, and a Petty Officer — were killed. No distress call was received before impact. The aircraft was largely destroyed by fire; only the tail rotor section survived. The Merlin HC4 fleet was temporarily grounded pending preliminary findings. The Defence Accident Investigation Branch (DAIB) opened an investigation examining possible technical or weather-related causes.