Man dies after helicopter crashes near Bentley, Doncaster

A 70-year-old man has died after a helicopter crashed into a field in Bentley, Doncaster, on Thursday morning, police said. Emergency services were called to Ings Road at about 10.14am after the aircraft, which had taken off from Retford Gamston Airport minutes earlier, came down. The man, later named by his family as Peter Smith, was treated at the scene but pronounced dead. Three other people on board sustained minor injuries, South Yorkshire Police said.

Police identified the other occupants as the 41-year-old pilot, a 58-year-old woman and a 10-year-old boy. Dozens of emergency vehicles, including police, fire and ambulance crews, attended and a cordon was established around the crash site near industrial units and a food waste recycling firm. Ings Road remains closed while investigators work at the scene.

Flight-tracking data indicate the aircraft left Gamston at about 10.00am and its transponder stopped transmitting as it approached the Bentley area roughly seven minutes into the flight. Witnesses reported seeing the helicopter come down close to houses, train lines and electrical pylons. A local resident, Lee Needham, said whoever was piloting the helicopter likely...