- .Captains Christopher Stover and Sean Ruane, Sergeant Dale E. Mathews and Staff Sergeant Afton M. Ponce died
- .Aircraft took off from U.S. Air Force base at RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk, but crashed on coast at 6pm on Tuesday
- .Colonel Kyle Robinson said: 'They have made the ultimate sacrifice while training to save the lives of others'
- .Commander revealed that the four crew had not made a mayday call before the fatal crash on nature reserve
- .All four bodies were taken to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital ahead of a post-mortem
- .Helicopter was a Pave Hawk, on a routine low-level flying exercise, when Norfolk residents heard 'unusual' sound
- .Experts believe low-flying crash could have been caused by birds who flock to marshland in their thousands
The bodies of the four American air crew killed in a helicopter crash on the north Norfolk coast were removed from the wreckage today as their commander paid tribute to their 'ultimate sacrifice'.
Captains Christopher S. Stover and Sean M. Ruane and Technical Sergeant Dale E. Mathews died when their Pave Hawk helicopter came down on a marsh near Cley-next- the-Sea on Tuesday night. Their female crew mate Staff Sergeant Afton M. Ponce was also killed in the crash.
Their remains were recovered as experts also tried to find hundreds of bullets that came down with their Black Hawk aircraft and spread across an area the size of a football pitch.
All four bodies were taken to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital ahead of a post-mortem.
Colonel Kyle Robinson, 48th Fighter Wing commander at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, said today that the crew made no mayday call before they crashed.
He said: 'I am deeply saddened by the loss of these great airmen. They have made the ultimate sacrifice while training to save the lives of others.'
Moving the dead: A team were today seen removing the body of one of the four servicemen killed when their helicopter crashed suddenly on the Norfolk coast on Tuesday night
Effort: The forensics team, in white boiler suits, had picked up the body of one of the four men in a dip where much of the helicopter's wreckage is and then carried the unnamed crew member's remains up the shingle and towards a vehicle
Recovery: The corpse was carried as personnel also inspected the wreckage strewn over the marsh and shingle while others collect bullets from the crashed aircraft in buckets and bags
He told their families: 'As a husband and father myself, I cannot imagine how heartbroken you must feel, now missing a piece of your family. I speak for the entire wing when I say that we are thinking of you, we are praying for you, and we are here for you.'
He also thanked the British authorities for their help in dealing with the crash.
Asked if emergency warnings were made in the moments before the HH-60G Pave Hawk went down, Col Robinson said: 'Not that I’m aware.'
Captains Stover and Ruane were the pilots, while Tech Sgt Mathews and Staff Sgt Ponce were acting as special mission aviators in the low level combat search and rescue training mission.
Air accident, RAF and US investigators spent yesterday at the scene of the tragedy, where debris is believed to have been strewn across the whole nature reserve.
The investigation has been hampered by munitions the helicopter was carrying on board, with bullets scattered around the scene.
Fallen hero: Staff Sgt Afton Ponce, who was a special mission aviator, steps away from a Pave Hawk at RAF Leeming in November
Casualties: U.S. Air Force Captains Christopher S. Stover, left, Sean M. Ruane, centre, and Technical Sergeant Dale E. Mathews, also died on Tuesday evening
Tributes: With the U.S. and British flags behind him, American Colonel Kyle Robinson today paid tribute to the four servicemen killed when their helicopter crashed on Tuesday night in Norfolk during a low-flying exercise
A 400-metre police cordon is expected to remain in place at the scene until Monday and the public have been asked to stay away.
It is expected that the bodies will be removed today.
Military investigators from the US and UK are expected to work together to establish exactly what happened once the police involvement is over.
Chief superintendent Bob Scully has said: 'You would be very much mistaken if you thought this would be a quick process.
'It all hinges on our ability to establish what happened and the removal of the casualties, who are sadly deceased, could disrupt the evidence so this must be done methodically step by step.'
Investigation continues: Air force personnel were again at the crash site from first light today as they work to recover bodies of the dead and ammunition that came down with the aircraft
Rescue work: More heavy machinery was sent to the crash zone on the north Norfolk coast today, as mystery remains about how and why the aircraft came down suddenly without making a mayday call
Tributes: Flowers were left at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk today, the U.S. Air Force's main base in Britain, which was handed to them after the Second World War
Message: The American men and women who work at Lakenheath are firmly part of the rural Suffolk community, who left their own tributes at the air base today
A derivative of the more famous Black Hawk helicopter, the Pave Hawk gets its name from the Pave acronym standing for Precision Avionics Vectoring Equipment.
They are used for combat search and rescue, mainly to recover downed aircrew or other isolated personnel in theatres of war.
They have a four-man crew and can carry up to 12 troops. Typically, training flights would replicate as closely as possible real missions which would mean weapons and ammunition would be carried.
Last night the father of one of the dead said his son had fallen in love with Britain.
Captain Sean Ruane is said to have been an experienced pilot, but it remains unclear whether he was at the controls of the Pave Hawk helicopter that came down on a marsh near Cley-next-the-Sea last night.
Based at RAF Lakenheath with U.S. Air Force 48th Fighter Wing, he leaves behind wife Rachel and their young son Liam.
Captain Ruane moved to Britain with his wife before she gave birth to their son in Britain and the family began building a life together here, his father Michael said.
Captain Sean, wife Rachel and son Liam Ruane as said to have fallen in love with Britain before Sean's tragic death
Victim: U.S. Air Force Pave Hawk rescue helicopter pilot Captain Sean Ruane with his wife Rachel
Tech Sgt Dale Mathews was named as one of the crew members of the HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter which crashed in Norfolk
Tech Sgt Dale Mathews (pictured) was named as one of the victims by RAF Lakenheath along with as Captain Christopher S. Stover, Captain Sean M. Ruane and Staff Sergeant Afton M. Ponce
Investigation: Experts at the scene of the helicopter crash in Norfolk, which killed four people and sent debris flying over an area of marsh and shingle the size of a football pitch
Wreckage: Air Force personnel survey the remains of the Pave Hawk aircraft, which came down making a 'heavy and unusual' sound as it passed over nearby villages
Standing guard: British police officers stand by the second helicopter which landed just yards from the downed aircraft, seen in the foreground
Nature reserve: The helicopter came down in one of Britain's finest areas for bird watching, leading to speculation a bird strike may have caused the crash
Speaking from his home in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, Mr Ruane, 60, said Captain Ruane's widow was devastated. He added that his son was fascinated by British history and spent his free time visiting castles and cathedrals.
Captain Ruane was so fond of the English countryside that he and his family lived in a rented farmhouse rather than on the base.
Capt Ruane's cousin Brian Meyer tweeted yesterday: 'My cousin died in a helicopter crash tonight. Pretty tore up about this. Everyone: thanks for all the kindness. I'll pass it along to his wife and child when we see each other soon.'
Mateo Spencer wrote: 'Rest in Peace to my friend Sean Ruane, aircraft pilot downed in a crash in England today.'
Mrs Ruane described her husband as 'outgoing and dedicated to others' on a wedding website at the time of their marriage in July 2011.
She said: 'Sean is a pilot in the Airforce and he flies Pavehawk Rescue Helicopters. I am so proud of what he does and that he has chosen to serve our country.
'Sean is outgoing and loves to spend time with his friends and family. His dedication to others is one of his best attributes. There are very few men like him. I consider myself very blessed because Sean is my perfect match and we have so much to look forward to.'
In a separate incident, a US Navy helicopter with five crew members crashed into the ocean off the Virginia coast during a routine training mission killing two and leaving two in hospital.
Rescuers searched into the night for a fifth sailor.
The two who died were among four crew members hoisted from the 5C (42F) degree waters by a Navy helicopter and taken to a hospital, the US Navy said.
The Navy identified the aircraft as an MH-53E.
Richard Kelham, chairman of Cley parish council, said the crash had highlighted concerns about the impact of low-flying helicopters on the nature reserve.
He said: 'It has been an ever-present issue for the last 20 years or so. If anything, it's got better in recent years as RAF bases have closed.
'The concern is more for the birds than anything else as local people are quite used to it.
'This has brought it to the fore again and, while we don't want a knee-jerk reaction, this is a chance to discuss whether anything can be done to improve the situation.'
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