A Robinson R44 helicopter crashed on the Isle of Wight earlier today, with police confirming three people died in the accident.
The aircraft was conducting flying lessons before crashing into a field near Shanklin at around 09:20 BST, with witnesses describing seeing the helicopter spiralling out of control.
A fourth occupant of the helicopter was airlifted to University Hospital Southampton in a “serious condition”.
The aircraft, registered as G-OCLV, is operated by Northumbria Helicopters, which confirmed the flight had departed Sandown Airport around 20 minutes before the accident happened at 09:00BST.
The UK’s Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) confirmed it had launched an investigation into the accident and was deploying a team to the crash site.
A spokesperson for Hampshire police said: “We will not be commenting on the circumstances of the incident but continue to work alongside the Air Accident Investigation Branch.”