A Robinson R-44 Clipper II helicopter, registration G-OCLV, owned by Adventure 001 and operated by Northumbria Helicopters, crashed yesterday morning, around 9:25 am local time, on the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. The aircraft had taken off from Sandown Airport, where it was scheduled to land, but crashed in a field near Ventnor, southwest of the airport. According to a witness who was driving on the A3020 between Whiteley Bank and Shanklin, the helicopter entered an autorotation before crashing into a hedge. It was an instructional flight; there were four people on board, three of whom died and the fourth was injured. The fourth was transported to the trauma center at University Hospital Southampton.

Emergency services, including Hampshire and Isle of Wight police, fire and rescue services, ambulance services, and hospital staff, attended the scene, according to Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones. "The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has now launched a formal investigation into the incident, and we are awaiting further details as we work to establish what happened", the commissioner said. The AAIB has sent its own team of inspectors to gather evidence and conduct investigations.

The R-44 is a light, single-engine, four-seater tourist helicopter with a two-bladed rotor. It has been produced by the American company Robinson Helicopter Company since 1992 and can be used as a trainer. It is an evolution of the R-22 model, offering greater comfort than the latter. Clipper II generally refers to the amphibious version (with fixed or retractable floats) of the Raven II variant.