A helicopter has crashed into a crop field in northern England on Wednesday, killing the pilot. The North Yorkshire Fire Service reported receiving a call of the incident at Aldborough at 1:26 p.m. local time. The pilot was killed as a result of the crash, a spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Police confirmed to Business Insider. He or she was the only person on the plane, and has not been named. The BBC tweeted an image of the crash's aftermath: —BBC Radio York (@BBCYork) May 30, 2018 The crash site is a few miles away from Dishforth Airfield, a military base that used to operate frequent helicopter flights. There has been no indication that the crash was linked to the military. Police, emergency services, and multiple fire engines were dispatched to the scene. A spokesman for the UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch told Business Insider that it had sent investigators to the scene.<doc-sep>A pilot has been killed in a helicopter crash near Aldborough in North Yorkshire, police have said. The North Yorkshire force said it received reports of a helicopter crash at 1.23pm on Wednesday, and officers and fire and ambulance crews were at the scene. There were no other passengers onboard. Supt Dave Hannan, of North Yorkshire police, said: “Unfortunately I can report that one person, the pilot, is deceased in the helicopter. We are working with the Air Accidents Investigation Branch and the Civil Aviation Authority to establish what the cause of that crash was and who the pilot may be.” Hannan said that when officers arrived on the scene the helicopter was on fire. He said efforts were being made to establish where the helicopter was coming from and where it was heading. North Yorkshire fire and rescue service said it was called at about 1.25pm to reports of a helicopter crashing in a field. “A number of fire engines from Boroughbridge, Knaresborough, Harrogate and Ripon are in attendance and are using hose reels to dampen down the scene,” a spokesman said. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch said inspectors had been sent to the site to investigate the incident.<doc-sep>Get email updates with the day's biggest stories Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice A pilot who died in a fiery helicopter crash in North Yorkshire is believed to be the Queen's Lord-Lieutenant for North Yorkshire Barry Dodd CBE. Mr Dodd, 70, the owner of multinational company GSM Group along with his wife Frances, 72, was once named one of Britain's top entrepreneurs and has been widely hailed for his charity work. The multimillionaire was described as a "serial" businessman, investor and philanthropist who had been recognised with a number of honours for his public service and generosity. Investigators are awaiting formal identification of the victim but they believe Mr Dodd was behind the controls when the Bell 206B helicopter went down in a field near Aldborough, Boroughbridge, on Wednesday afternoon. (Image: NYorksPolice/Twitter) Mr Dodd and his wife lived near Carlton-in-Cleveland - about 25 miles from the crash site - according to a North Yorkshire Lieutenancy profile. He also had an address at Thormanby Hall, near Aldborough and the take-off site. The helicopter had departed from Husthwaite, about 10 miles from the field were it crashed, investigators said. He was awarded an OBE in 2006 for services to business and the economy in Yorkshire, having been described by friends as a homegrown success who built his empire from the ground up. In June 2014, the Prince of Wales awarded him a CBE for services to the UK economy and voluntary service to the community during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. The Queen appointed him to his role as Lord-Lieutenant for North Yorkshire in September 2014, and he accompanied her on visits to the region, including one to Richmond Castle in May 2015 for the amalgamation parade of The Queen's Royal Lancers and 9th/12th Royal Lancers. (Image: PA) (Image: PA Archive) Investigators remained at the crash scene on Thursday as they worked to establish the cause of the incident. The pilot was the lone occupant of the aircraft Eyeitnesses told Mirror Online there was an "enormous explosion" when the helicopter went down and caught fire in a rapeseed field at about 1.30pm on Wednesday. Katie McCann, who was at her mother's house nearby, said she spoke to a man who witnessed the crash, and he told her the helicopter had "climbed up into the cloud like it was trying to recover itself, and then dropped like a stone". A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “Sadly, the pilot of the private aircraft was pronounced dead at the scene following the helicopter crash near Aldborough yesterday. “Whilst we await formal identification, we believe he is Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant for North Yorkshire, Mr Barry Dodd CBE. “Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time. "Mr Dodd’s family have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers. "The force request the family’s privacy at this very sad time. "Officers remain at the scene, alongside the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, whilst investigations continue." (Image: PA) A spokesperson for the AAIB said: “Inspectors from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch arrived in Boroughbridge yesterday to start an investigation into an accident involving a Bell 206B helicopter. There was one person on board. The aircraft departed from Husthwaite, North Yorkshire. “Our inspectors have been working on site, speaking to witnesses and gathering other evidence. We anticipate that the aircraft will be recovered tomorrow and brought to our specialist facility in Farnborough for a detailed examination while our investigation continues. We will publish a report on our findings when our investigation has concluded.” Mourners and groups supported by Mr Dodd paid touching tributes to him as they celebrated his business and charity work. Scarborough and Whitby MP Robert Goodwill, who was friends with Mr Dodd, said: "I am absolutely devastated to hear the terrible news about Barry. Not only was he a phenomenally successful businessman but he had an amazing commitment to public service in Yorkshire. "I am proud to have known him as a friend and fellow classic car enthusiast. His are shoes that will be impossible to fill. I am so sorry for his wife Frances and his family." (Image: North Yorkshire Lieutenancy) The Two Ridings Community Foundation, which supports charities in North and East Yorkshire, said: "We are devastated to learn of the loss of a true friend of Two Ridings - our co-President, Barry Dodd CBE. "He inspired the business and charity communities across North Yorkshire for so many years, and our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time." Middlesbrough Mayor Dave Budd wrote on Twitter: "Very sad to hear of the death of Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire Barry Dodd CBE. "He was a strong advocate for Middlesbrough and a regular attendee at our civic events. The flag at Middlesbrough Town Hall will fly at half mast to mark his passing." City of York Council tweeted: "We are paying tribute to Barry Dodd today after the sad news of his passing. We will also be flying flags at half mast to pay our respects and honour his work in York. Our thoughts are with his family." (Image: PA) Mr Dodd began his career as a graduate trainee with ICI after graduating from Hatfield Polytechnic (now University of Hertfordshire) in 1971 with a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. He spent five years working with the firm in London, New York and Teesside before he left to start his own business in 1976. Mr Dodd and business partner Geoff Collier founded the two-man start-up GSM Graphic Arts - which supplies labels, nameplates and fascias - above a shop in Guisborough in 1974. In the 40-plus years since then it has expanded into a number of additional industries, including automotive components, sheet metal assemblies and product barcoding, under the Global Service and Manufacturing (GSM) Group umbrella. (Image: PA) The multinational firm, based in Thirsk, employs more than 500 people in Britain and other countries including Germany and the US. GSM Group is Europe's biggest manufacturer of industrial graphic products, with four manufacturing plants and a software house in the UK alone. Mr Dodd was also chairman of Varlink, a distributor of mobile computing and EPoS technology, and had served as director of the start-up Addpower Technologies, which developed an instantly rechargeable battery. He was also listed as director of Wetherby-based Gazelle Aviation. The company is listed as the registered owner of a single-engine Bell 206B helicopter, but it was unclear whether that was the aircraft involved in the crash. Mr and Mrs Dodd were included in Management Today's list of Britain’s Top 100 Entrepreneurs in 2014. (Image: PA) Mr and Mrs Dodd had a combined fortune of £75m in 2017, Insider Media reported on its annual Yorkshire Rich List, which put the couple in a tie for 71st place. A profile of Mr Dodd on the North Yorkshire Lieutenancy website states: "Mr Barry Dodd CBE, is Her Majesty’s representative in the County and is charged with upholding the dignity of the Crown." In that role, he was responsible for the "promotion of civic, commercial, voluntary and social activities" in the county. The profile adds: "Barry Dodd is a successful entrepreneur and wealth creator especially interested in creating employment in rural areas. "Amongst his many achievements is the creation of a multinational Global Services and Manufacturing Group with four manufacturing plants in the UK. "He is Chairman and major shareholder in two high tech software and systems companies and a fast growing distributor of mobile computing products. "For the past eleven years Barry has devoted a day per week to unpaid public service." He lived in Carlton-in-Cleveland with his wife Frances, according to the profile. Mr Dodd had also served as a member of the Automotive Industry Council, chair and pro-chancellor of the University of Hull and chair of the Hull York Medical School. Until February 1 he was the first chairman of the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Enterprise Partnership (LEP), in which he oversaw almost £240m of government and European funding.<doc-sep>
One person died after a helicopter crashed in a field close to an RAF base in North Yorkshire this afternoon. A huge 999 operation was launched following the smash close to Aldborough, Boroughbridge, shortly before 1:30pm. Police confirmed the pilot died and there were no other passengers on board. Brian Rey, owner of The Ship Inn pub in Aldborough, told Mirror Online he heard the aircraft was a "burned out wreck". One eyewitness said the helicopter "dropped like a stone" after initially trying to "recover itself". Mr Rey said: "They don't believe there are any survivors, it's a burned out wreck. "When I spoke to them (police) they didn't know where it was from or where it was going. It was a civilian helicopter." Did you see what happened? Email webnews@trinitymirror.com (Image: BBC) (Image: London News Pictures Ltd) He said the aircraft crashed into a rapeseed field close to the village, which is close to RAF Dishforth. Katie McCann, of London, who grew up in Aldborough, said the crash took place behind Aldborough Hall. She was in her mother's house when she heard what sounded like an "out of control plane or helicopter". She said: "The clouds are quite low here today and it's not great weather. "Then I heard an enormous explosion." (Image: London News Pictures Ltd) The 53-year-old looked out the window and "black smoke was everywhere and I just flew out of the house because I thought it was an airplane". A man with two boys was on the phone trying the direct emergency services, and Ms McCann helped. "You couldn't see anything," she said. "There was so much smoke. "[One man] said he had seen it. It was a red and white helicopter. "He said it had climbed up into the cloud like it was trying to recover itself, and then dropped like a stone." It only took the first fire engine around three minutes to turn up, she added. (Image: London News Pictures Ltd) Speaking by the scene, Superintendent Dave Hannan, of North Yorkshire Police, said: "Unfortunately I can report that one person, the pilot, is deceased in the helicopter. "We are working with the Air Accidents Investigation Branch and the Civil Aviation Authority to establish what the cause of that crash was and who the pilot may be." Mr Hannan said the helicopter was on fire when emergency services arrived at the scene and that efforts are being made to establish where it was coming from and where it was going. He added: "It was apparent that there was only one single occupant of that helicopter." Investigators are currently conducting a search of the scene. Mirror Online has contacted the Ministry of Defence.