 The damaged crane attached to St George Wharf Tower as seen on the day of the crash | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 16 January 2013 |
| Summary | Collision with obstacle in poor visibility |
| Site | Vauxhall, London, England 51°28′57″N 0°7′38.5″W / 51.48250°N 0.127361°W |
| Total fatalities | 2 |
| Total injuries | 12 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Agusta A109E |
| Operator | RotorMotion |
| ICAO flight No. | RKT2 |
| Call sign | ROCKET 2 |
| Registration | G-CRST |
| Flight origin | Redhill Aerodrome, Surrey, England |
| Destination | Elstree Airfield, Hertfordshire, England |
| Occupants | 1 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Fatalities | 1 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Ground casualties | |
| Ground fatalities | 1 |
| Ground injuries | 12 |
On 16 January 2013, an Agusta A109 helicopter crashed in Vauxhall, London,[1] after it collided with the jib of a construction crane attached to St George Wharf Tower. Two people died in the incident:[2] the pilot, Pete Barnes,[1] 50, and a pedestrian, Matthew Wood, 39, from Sutton in south London.[2][3] Five people were taken to hospital and seven more were treated at the scene.[2]
The pilot had diverted because of poor visibility. The official report concluded he was probably unaware how close the tower was, and that the deaths were accidental.
Barnes was an experienced helicopter pilot, flying commercially for many years – including having experience with the Great North Air Ambulance Service.[4]
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
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BBC21041468was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
BBC21087595was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Reporters, Telegraph (2013). "Helicopter crash: Vauxhall crane workmen escape death because they overslept". Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 25 February 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2018.