Police name helicopter crash victims

A father and his teenage son who were killed in a helicopter crash have been named by police.

Pilot Paul Kennedy, 45, and his 15-year-old son Simon died when the five-seater Bell 206 Jet Ranger experienced difficulties over the village of Cudham, south London.

Family members visited the scene of the crash to pay their respects as air accident investigators began to sift through the charred debris on Saturday.

Post-mortem examinations on Simon, who lived with his mother in Old Leigh, near Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, and his father are expected to take place on Wednesday next week.

Disaster averted

An inquest will open and adjourn at Croydon Coroners' Court at a date yet to be fixed.

Villagers who saw the crash unfold yesterday said Mr Kennedy averted a disaster by pulling the helicopter away from local houses.

Appealing for any other witnesses to the crash, which happened between 1500 GMT and 1545 GMT on Friday, Chief Inspector Geoff Matthews said: "The engine sounded bad and the rotor blades appeared slow."

The investigation into the crash will look at the history of the aircraft, its maintenance records, the weather conditions before, the pilot's qualifications, and the passengers on board.