If that graphic is correct, Sword2 was orbiting a location about 25 km from the accident site.

The graphic IMHO is not correct. Sword 2 was out in the area for quite some time and tracked pretty well on the ADSB type sites. Often stopping and orbiting in various locations. Coastguard AW139 was also tracking well and went to a location just north west of Sourton Down .

Unconfirmed eyewitness reports suggest there was fire before impact.

I don’t think you can put much store in the “ witnesses “. Various reports of the aircraft “ mechanically failing “ but I’m not sure in the cacophony of a very low flying Merlin you’d be able to tell if you weren’t qualified

Do military helicopters carry a black box?

The Merlin Mk4 was fitted with a replacement FDR during MLSP so hopefully the cause of the incident can be determined once it has been recovered from the crash site and the data extracted.

RIP to the crew, just doing their job, under training orders.

Though we don't know what happened on the lead up to it, or if they had to deviate from their course due for anything.

I was unsure what type of Heli it was, so I googled it. WOW, I DID NOT REALISE HOW BIG A MACHINE IT IS!!!!


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....7ae81ab886.png
AW101 Merlin MK4/4A


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....5c33e804e3.png

The Daily Mail has indicated the probable identity of one of the deceased, without actually naming them by the headline on its web-site.
Naturally my comments on this, raising why gender is relevant, has been removed,

Such a nice way to find out. RIP to all the crew and condolences to the families, friends and CHF.

Lt Cmdr Chris Gayson, 42, Lt Lily-Mae Fisher, 31, and Petty Officer Owen Green, 24 formally confirmed by the MoD.

RIP and condolences to all of their families, friends and colleagues.

As a Junglie, it is perhaps fortunate that only the crew were involved in this tragedy. Blu skies Ma'am, Gentlemen.

A sad day for everyone involved in military aviation.

Fair winds and following seas.

I’ll raise a tot to you all tonight.

Crash scene looks very similar to Puma XW203 that crashed at Beacon Hill south of Newbury on 14 Nov 74. I was the engineer on the BOQ and we never came up with a cause. I heard years later that Boscombe Down came up with a theory of an airflow interaction between main and tail rotor causing loss of control.

RIP and condolences to all of their families, friends and colleagues. John , we'll raise a glass as well .
''A sad day for everyone involved in military aviation.'' Sadly not just Military , from 2 civilian aviator families , 1 kid from each followed .. 1 Mil. 1 Civi . Both and another sibling were at primary school with Lily-Mae and have been cheering her on ever since .

rgds condor .

The BBC is reporting that Lt Fisher was due to be awarded her wings in June and this flight was her final assessment - along with her beefer and crewman. How very sad.

I don't think that is the endorsement you think it is. Sorry, but it's probably best to delete that.

I don’t fully follow your point but I’ll follow it. Feel free to DM with context

That article best describes the pilots and their histories, about halfway down in the blue. Sad, very sad.

I flew over the 61 in Poole the day after. Very similar except that it hadn’t rolled over. Perfectly landed in the centre of a football pitch with just the tips of blades and the tail remaining. Ash pile in the middle. This looks very similar. Fire in flight. All got out alive in 2002.
Not so lucky this time. RIP

I’m trying to think of a scenario where a fire could be so severe that all three were rapidly overcome by fumes/smoke etc after a controlled landing, but not severe enough to have destroyed the controls and hydraulics beforehand. Potentially rolling onto its side would create a difficult environment to escape from, as we’ve seen with some heliskiing accidents (B412)

When I first saw pictures of the site, my mind went to Tilton on the Hill, May 1999.
Always in my thoughts.
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/64952

Some of the initial posts here mentioned 3 fatalities and one injured.
No mention of a survivor since.
Was the information in the initial posts in error and there were just the 3 crew aboard?

RIP.

Crew
 

Long time lurker and serving RAF here, the Navy very kindly gave me a lift onto Dartmoor during the Ten Tors Challenge, on a CHF Merlin back at the start of May. In fact, on checking a video I took, with PO Owen Green as one of the crewmen. I can’t give an answer to your question, however they certainly can and do fly with two bods in the back. Not sure on the SOPs though