Copter crash near McRae property

Copter crash near McRae property

The helicopter crashed on the outskirts of Lanark
Two people are believed to have died in a helicopter crash near the Lanarkshire home of former World Rally Champion Colin McRae.
The helicopter came down at 1610 BST in Jerviswood, about a mile from Lanark, and is understood to have caught fire.

Strathclyde Police said there were no survivors and that no further details about the victims would be released until Sunday.

Mr McRae, 39, is known to be a keen helicopter pilot.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch ( AAIB ) said it had been led to believe two people were on board the Squirrel aircraft.

The damage has been so bad that we don't know how many people were on board

Strathclyde Police spokeswoman

However, Strathclyde Police said the helicopter damage was so bad they could not confirm how many were involved.

A police statement said: \"Around 1610 BST on Saturday, 15 September 2007, emergency services were called to a helicopter crash in Jerviswood, east of the A73 at Lanark.

\"There are no survivors.

\"It is not known how many people were on board at this time and there will be no formal identification of anyone on board this evening.\"

The statement added that the air accident investigation team was on its way to Scotland to establish the cause of the crash.


The accident happened near Colin McRae's property

The Scottish Ambulance Service confirmed that its own helicopter had been despatched to the scene along with three ambulance crews.

Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service also has units in attendance at the scene.

The RAF spokesman said the incident did not involve a military aircraft and added that its helicopter was on stand-by to assist.

A spokesman for the British Airports Authority said the helicopter did not come from Glasgow or Edinburgh Airports.

The Strathclyde Police spokeswoman said officers were trying to establish who was on board and where the helicopter was travelling to and from.

\"The damage has been so bad that we don't know how many people were on board,\" she said.

\&quot;It might be one, it might be more. We just don't know at the moment.\&quot;<br><br>Post edited by: gtir350, at: 2007/09/15 22:09