North Yorkshire helicopter crash pilot named
Police say Lord-Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, Barry Dodd, was flying the aircraft that came down near Boroughbridge
A pilot who died after a helicopter crash is believed to be Barry Dodd, the Lord-Lieutenant for North Yorkshire, police have said.
North Yorkshire Police said that although formal identification is yet to take place, Mr Dodd is believed to have died after the helicopter crashed into a field near Aldborough, Boroughbridge, at 1.23pm on Wednesday.
The force said: "Sadly, the pilot of the private aircraft ... was pronounced dead at the scene.
"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."
The force said Mr Dodd's family were being supported by specially trained officers, and requested the family's privacy "at this very sad time".
North Yorkshire Police said officers remain at the scene with Civil Aviation Authority and Air Accidents Investigation Branch officials as investigations continue.
The cause of the crash is not yet known.
Speaking at the scene on Wednesday, Superintendent Dave Hannan, of North Yorkshire Police, confirmed there were no other people on board.
Mr Hannan said that when emergency services arrived at the scene, the helicopter was alight.
He added: "We are working with the Air Accidents Investigation Branch and the Civil Aviation Authority to establish what the cause of that crash was.
"The emergency services (including) ourselves, the ambulance service and the fire service, all attended, as did the air ambulance."
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said on Twitter that a number of engines from Boroughbridge, Knaresborough, Harrogate and Ripon were sent to the incident, and hoses were used to "damp down the scene".
On the website of the North Yorkshire Lieutenancy, it is claimed that Mr Dodd CBE took up the role as Her Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant for North Yorkshire in September 2014.
Mr Dodd CBE is described as a "successful entrepreneur and wealth creator especially interested in creating employment in rural areas".
The site says that among his many achievements is the "creation of a multinational Global Services and Manufacturing Group" which has four manufacturing plants in the UK.
The profile states that he was also serving as Chair and Pro-Chancellor at the University of Hull, and Chair of the joint Hull York Medical School.
In 2014, he was awarded a CBE for his services to the UK economy