Helicopter part hits beach

The fallen panel is a flotation tank cover

A loose panel has fallen from a Royal Navy helicopter and landed on a beach, narrowly missing sunbathers.

The 3ft-long piece of metal broke off from the Navy's latest £28m attack helicopter, - Merlin, as it was flying back from a Belgian air show.

The light-weight panel hit the beach at Worthing, West Sussex, missing one man by only a few yards.

Council workers on board a coastal patrol boat watched the incident happen and alerted their boss before going to collect the fallen fragments.

One piece fell just a few metres from where someone was walking

Mike Colliss Worthing Council

Worthing Council's foreshore manager Mike Colliss said air traffic control were told as soon as possible.

"We were watching the Merlin fly past when two of my guys on the safety boat rang to say they could see bits falling from the aircraft," he said.

"I thought they were joking until they said they had picked up the bits and were bringing them in. One piece fell just a few metres from where someone was walking.

"There was a little bit of a panic because we had a helicopter with bits falling from it."

Shoreham in turn contacted Bournemouth Airport, which got in touch with the Navy pilot.

Enormous relief

He decided to make a precautionary landing at Bournemouth, where checks were made on the helicopter.

It was allowed to complete its flight to its home base at Culdrose in Cornwall.

The Royal Navy has ordered 44 Merlin helicopters

According to the Navy spokeswoman at Culdrose, Doreen George, the panel was a cover for one of the helicopter's flotation tanks.

She confirmed the helicopter had landed safely.

"Obviously, there was enormous relief that no one on the ground was injured or that no property was damaged," she said.

"The captain made a precautionary landing at Bournemouth where it was decided the aircraft was entirely airworthy...it landed safely at Culdross and an investigation has been launched."

The Merlin aircraft will replace the well known Sea King helicopter as the Navy's key anti-submarine helicopter at the end of 2001.