Two of the three men who died when an Army helicopter crashed in Leicestershire were revealed today to be from North Yorkshire. An investigation was continuing into why the Lynx Mark 7 aircraft from Dishforth, near Boroughbridge, plummeted to the ground near the village of Tilton on the Hill.

Three members of 9 Regiment Army Air Corps, based at Dishforth, were killed, and a fourth was taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary with very serious injuries.

An Army spokeswoman said the dead men were Warrant Officer 2 Andrei Prenczek, from Harrogate, Staff Sergeant Stuart Donnan, who lived at the base, and Staff Sergeant Peter Clyne, from Scotland.

The injured man, who has not been named, remains in a stable condition, though he is still seriously ill in the intensive care unit of Leicester Royal Infirmary.

Lt Col Iain Thomson, commanding officer of 9 Regiment Army Air Corps, said: "This tragedy has obviously come as a great shock to us all."

Witnesses said the helicopter pilot battled to steer the craft away from houses before crashing.

Wing Commander Nigel Wharmby, of RAF Cottesmore, Leics,, said the helicopter was on a transit flight to a base in the south of England.

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