Helicopter crash near Bude in Cornwall kills pilot

A helicopter has crashed in a field in north Cornwall, killing its pilot.

The aircraft came down at about 15:30 BST near Bude. Police are not yet sure if anyone else was on board.
The pilot is believed to be a man in his 40s and from the Bristol area. Police said his next of kin had been informed.
Following the crash the electricity supply to about 300 customers was cut off but the helicopter did not hit the power lines.
'Strange noises' It is understood Western Power was asked to "disengage" the lines while emergency services attended the scene. Supplies have since been restored.
The helicopter caught fire when it crashed and was put out by firefighters from Cornwall Fire Service.

"The helicopter was privately owned and came down in a field about five miles from Bude between Marhamchurch and Week St Mary," a spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said.
"It is a very isolated area with no roads nearby for reference."
The Air Accident Investigation Branch was told and went to assist police.
Beth Sachs, who lives with her husband and young children about 300 metres from where the helicopter crashed, said: "I didn't see it come down but I heard it fly over making strange noises.
"A fire engine from Launceston went by and then the electricity went off for about an hour."

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