Royal Navy Merlin crashes near Oakhampton in Devon — Devon News

Devon news: a Royal Navy Merlin helicopter crashed in a field near Oakhampton in Devon just before 0400 on Wednesday, 3 June. Emergency services were on the scene from around 0430, and road closures affected the A386 and the A30 Sourton Cross slip and services.

The Ministry of Defence said: "An incident occurred involving a Royal Navy helicopter just before 0400 on Wednesday, 3 June, near Sourton, Devon. An investigation is underway and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."

Sourton and Oakhampton

The helicopter involved was a Merlin, a three-engined aircraft used by the Royal Navy. The crash location near Sourton and Oakhampton put response teams on roads used by drivers heading through the area, with closures in place around the A386 and the A30 Sourton Cross slip and services.

For anyone travelling through that stretch, the immediate effect is on route choice and journey time, not just the crash site itself. Drivers using the A386 or the A30 Sourton Cross slip and services have had to avoid the closed area while emergency crews work nearby.

Merlin Fleet

The Merlin fleet has gone through major upgrades and refurbishments, but the airframes are now ageing. That gives this incident a wider operational context because the aircraft type remains in service while parts of the fleet have already been pushed through long periods of use and modification.

A Merlin Mk4 ditched while operating from HMS Queen Elizabeth off Dorset in September 2024, and the pilot was lost in that incident. The board of enquiry report from that ditching has still not been published.

What happens next is straightforward: investigators will examine the wreckage and the circumstances around the incident near Sourton, while the closures around the A386 and A30 remain the practical issue for local drivers until the scene is cleared.