Seven dead in helicopter crash Click for story

Lieutenant Tony King, 35, was one of seven servicemen from 849 Squadron Airborne Surveillance Control killed in a mid-air crash between two Royal Navy helicopters.

The Airborne Early Warning helicopters collided on Saturday at about 0130 GMT killing six British aircrew and one US Navy officer.

The Sea Kings were stationed on HMS Ark Royal and came from a squadron based at Culdrose in Cornwall.

The Reverend Matthew Thomson, vicar of St Andrew's Church in Lieutenant King's home village of Congresbury, north Somerset, said people there were saddened by the news of his death.

"It is a tremendous shock. There is a sense of complete and utter disbelief and of trying to take it all in," he said.

Rev Matthew Thomson : "It has hit our village quite hard."

Lieutenant King grew up in Congresbury, where he met and married his wife Sarah.

The couple, who moved near to RNAS Culdrose, had two children, David, six, and Molly, four.

Mr Thomson said: "Tony had always wanted to fly helicopters and he had given his whole career to doing that. He was very much a family man.

"He had friends in the village, and he used to enjoy a game of rugby."

Lieutenant King's parents Colin and Anne King still live in Congresbury.

Mr Thomson said: "It has hit our village quite hard. His wife's father is one of my church wardens. It is a close community where you get to know people.

"I think it is going to take a long time for the whole community to come to terms with it.

"What was many thousands of miles away is suddenly right at the heart of our community life here.

"We will support and try to care for them as best we can.

"The family want their privacy at the moment, and our thoughts and prayers go out to them."