Ruthin helicopter crash: what happened in North Wales as Dai Walters taken to hospital after incident in woods

Dai Walters answers media questions at the Seven Barrows stables in January 2012 (Photo: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)Dai Walters answers media questions at the Seven Barrows stables in January 2012 (Photo: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Dai Walters answers media questions at the Seven Barrows stables in January 2012 (Photo: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) | Getty Images
North Wales Police have said the Civil Aviation Authority will investigate the crash

The former owner of Ffos Las racecourse is one of two people who have been hospitalised after a helicopter crash in North Wales.

At 5.36pm on Tuesday (1 November), North Wales Police were called to the area near Llanelidan in Ruthin, Denbighshire, which involved Dai Walters.

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Walters, who also owns racehorses, ran Ffos Las in Carmarthenshire from 2009 till 2018. The incident was also attended by firefighters and the ambulance service. The UK coastguard also dispatched a helicopter to the scene, as reported by WalesOnline.

Despite early claims that four individuals had been transported to hospital, the Welsh Ambulance Service confirmed two people were taken to Denbighshire's Glan Clwyd Hospital. According to the police, all of the helicopter’s occupants are accounted for.

But what exactly happened? Here is everything you need to know.

What happened?

The Civil Aviation Authority will investigate the crash, said police, who refused to provide any further details about the incident.

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Huw Howatson, who witnessed the helicopter crash, claimed there were five men in the craft when it got into trouble.

“It was horrible, I watched it happen and I was filming the helicopter. I could see it was in trouble and it hit some trees and I had to get out the way,” he told BBC News. “A piece of propeller came away. We had to scarper because there was lots of debris, it was just flying everywhere - it was like a movie.”

According to Ch Insp David Cust, none of the four onboard the helicopter were considered to have suffered life-threatening or life-changing injuries.

A spokesperson for North Wales Police said: “We were called at 5.36pm this afternoon (Tuesday) to reports of a helicopter crash in woodland near Llanelidan, Ruthin. Whilst a multiple agency response remains at the scene, the ongoing investigation into the cause will be dealt with by the Civil Aviation Authority.”

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Like other areas of the UK, North Wales was hit by wind and thundery showers yesterday (1 November); as lightning struck Flintshire, an “explosion” was heard, with many people reporting power outages, as well as disruption to TV signals and internet connections.

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