AN INQUEST into the deaths of a couple and their infant son following a helicopter crash near Sevenoaks opened today in Tunbridge Wells.

The accident happened on Saturday, shortly after the family took off in a privately chartered Hughes 500 helicopter from Biggin Hill aerodrome.

It came down minutes later in Cudham Lane South, Knockholt, killing all three occupants. They were pronounced dead at the scene shortly before 10.30am.

This morning West Kent coroner Roger Hatch heard evidence from coroner's officer Peter Thompson concerning their identification.

Mark Andrew Price, 39, a freelance software analyst, born in Nottingham, and his wife, Jean Ann Price, 33, a teacher, born in Catterick, were both identified with the help of passports.

Their son, Samuel Patrick Price, aged 14 months, was identified from a photograph with the assistance of Det Con Alan Loxton, of Nottinghamshire police.

All three victims lived in Chessington, Surrey. Post mortems carried out by pathologist Dr Ian Hill showed all three had died from multiple injuries.

After hearing that the Air Accident Investigation Branch was continuing its inquiries into the crash, the coroner adjourned the inquest to a date to be fixed.