A Coastguard helicopter was seen circling above Plymouth and South Devon on the afternoon of March 5, 2025, following what has now been confirmed as a false alarm. The red and white helicopter was first spotted over Elburton, near Plymstock, at around 4:15 PM, where it appeared to be circling the area.

Flight tracking services, such as Flightradar24, showed the helicopter took off from Crackington Haven, located on the north-west coast of Cornwall. It then flew down to Torpoint and along the Rame Head coast, covering areas from Polperro to Mothecombe. The helicopter then flew towards Elburton, hovering above the area for some time, before continuing eastward over Salcombe and eventually returning to Newquay in Cornwall.

According to a spokesperson for the Coastguard, the helicopter's extensive search was initiated in response to an emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) alert received at around 2:40 PM on March 5. The Coastguard’s response included a search and rescue helicopter, the Plymouth Coastguard Rescue Team, and the RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat from Plymouth. After a thorough search, no one was found to be in distress.

The Coastguard confirmed that the search was a result of a false alert, and no emergency situation was discovered during the operation. EPIRBs are small electronic devices used to help search and rescue teams locate individuals in distress at sea.