Vauxhall helicopter crash

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On January 16, 2013, at 7:59 GMT, a helicopter crashed in Vauxhall, London, after colliding with a construction crane jib attached to the St. George Wharf Tower. Two people were killed in the incident: pilot, Pete Barnes, 50, and pedestrian, Matthew Wood, 39, from Sutton in south London. Five people were taken to the hospital and seven others were treated at the scene.

The pilot has been diverted due to poor visibility. The official report concluded he probably did not realize how close the tower was, and that the death was unintentional.

Barnes is an experienced helicopter pilot, flying commercially for many years - including having experience with the Exceptional North Air Ambulance Service.

Video Vauxhall helicopter crash

Aircraft

The helicopter involved was Agusta AW109 with G-CRST registration, msn 11017. At the time of the crash, the plane flew for 2,304.5 hours. The helicopter is owned by Castle Air of Cornwall and leased to RotorMotion of Redhill, Surrey.

Maps Vauxhall helicopter crash

Flights

Barnes was on his way from Redhill Airport to Elstree Airfield to pick up passengers, businessman Richard Caring, and then fly to Yorkshire. Before the pilot took off, Caring called him twice on his cell phone to suggest a flight delay or cancellation. However, Barnes chose to continue the flight in London, in low clouds and freezing temperatures. After being unable to land at Elstree at 7:46 am, while back south to Redhill, Barnes has requested Air Traffic Control at 7:56 am for a change of route and a permit to land at London Heliport in Battersea.

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Accident and breakdown

Shortly before 08:00 GMT, the helicopter collided with a construction jib crane attached to the St. George Wharf Tower in Vauxhall. The existence of the crane is subject to Notice to Airmen (NOTAM),

The BBC reported that the crash occurred "in a thick fog". The location of the incident was near the Vauxhall bus station, where witnesses reported seeing a "fireball". An eyewitness told the BBC that he had heard "a very unusual buzz" just after 08:00.

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Emergency response

The main debris landed on Wandsworth Road, in front of the Wendle Court building. Five people were taken to the hospital and seven others were treated at the scene.

The London Fire Brigade said that they saved one person from a burning car and two office buildings, five cars and two motorbikes were damaged when the helicopter crashed to the ground. Six people were taken to the hospital and seven others were treated at the scene. The wreckage itself was attended by 88 fire brigade personnel who extinguished the fire in 20 minutes, while 57 others worked to build damaged cranes and help evacuate residents from the tower.

The Heliport London contacted the Royal National Alert Association after being unable to make contact with the helicopter. A rescue boat on the shore of Tower Lifeboat Station was randomized, as well as a fire and rescue service of the London Heliport itself after reports of people in the water, but then withdrawn. A firefighter also conducts a wake-up search for the river.

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Aftermath

Vauxhall station closed after the incident but reopened the next day. Road users are still advised to avoid the area. ITV News reports that First Capital Connect warned passengers against traveling in the area, although the station is actually served by South West Trains and the London Underground.

The Vauxhall bus station takes five days to fully reopen. Nine Elms Lane remains closed so that the Terex TC 2800-1 lattice boom truck crane (one of the largest mobile cranes in the country), derived from Leyland, Lancashire, can be used to move the damaged Terex CTL 180 crane jib. This work was completed on February 11, with all roads reopened.

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Reaction

Kate Hoey, Labor MP for Vauxhall's constituency, told the BBC that, in his opinion, there should be "an investigation of the increasing number of helicopters flying around London". In 1991, he proposed the Ten Minutes Rule Bill to tighten rules on helicopter and heliport laws, although the bill did not succeed to become law.

Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, announced a review of the rules about flying in central London and the security of tall buildings.

David Cameron said, on the day of the crash, there will be a review of the regulations governing helicopter flights over central London.

src: static.independent.co.uk

Investigation

The Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB), the body responsible for the investigation of air crashes in Britain, announced the investigation of the incident. The Civil Aviation Authority announced that the accident was the first fatal helicopter crash in central London since records began in 1976.

An initial report published by AAIB on Jan. 23 showed that Caring, a Barnes client was to collect, had expressed concern about the weather and twice suggested he delay the take-off. But Barnes declared that he had started the engine, and chose to continue the flight in London in the weather which was later described by the Met Office as vulnerable to widespread low clouds, poor visibility and frozen fog points. After being unable to land on Elstree at 7:46, Barnes decided to return to Redhill. After being under the control of the radar, upon entering the London CTR at 07:55, at 07:56 Barnes asked ATC for permission to transfer to London Heliport. ATC controllers put Barnes in the Thames River grip between Vauxhall Bridge and Westminster Bridge, while checking with controllers at Battersea whether they can receive a helicopter.

The report states that at 7:59 pm, just 15 seconds before hitting the crane, the last exchange between ATC and the helicopter, calling Rocket 2, is:

• ATC: Rocket 2, yes Battersea redirects are approved; You are cleared to Battersea.
• Barnes: Beautiful thanks; Rocket 2.
• ATC: Rocket 2, contact Battersea 122.9. ^{[Note 2]}
• Barnes: 229, thank you very much.

After the exchange ends at 7:59:18, when the helicopter is approximately 150 meters (490 ft) south-west of the Vauxhall Bridge, as soon as it begins to turn right. At 07:59:25, it struck a crane on the south side of the river 275 meters (902 feet) from the south-west end of the Vauxhall Bridge.

The AAIB report also states that:

• The calculations show that the collision occurred at about 682 feet (208 m) above ground level. The total height from the ground to the top of the jib crane is 719 feet (219 m).
• The main rotor head, gearbox, and part of one of the four rotor blades of the helicopter, all separated from the fuselage as a direct result of the initial collision with the jib, landed at the loading point of New Covent Garden Market at Nine Elms, where they hit the delivery van.
• The solar-powered red warning light on the crane is not turned on during an accident, because the official requirement is that "barriers will be lit at night only." The official notice for the Aviator (NOTAM) has been issued about the structure.

In March 2013, the BBC London report indicated that the accident could have been prevented, according to a study written in 2005 in which "19 experts contribute, from organizations including the National Air Traffic Service (NATS), the Department of Defense, the Metropolitan Police Support Unit and the Council British Helicopter Advisor ". A number of security issues have been raised by research - particularly with regard to visibility, meteorology, and flying in dense and complex urban environments - but the CAA has not made any changes to air rules. However, the studies and comments were claimed to be productive.

The final report was published on September 9, 2014. This report identifies two factors:

1. The pilot switched to the collision lane with a crane attached to the building and probably did not notice the helicopter's distance to the building at the beginning of the turn.

2. The pilot does not see the crane or sees it too late to take effective avoidance measures.

Ten recommendations made.

An examination ruled that Barnes and Wood's death was unintentional.

src: static.standard.co.uk

Note

1. ^ NOTAM reading: "Q) EGTT/QOBCE/IV/M/AE/000/008/5129N00007W001 B) FROM : 13/01/07 17: 00C) TO: 13/03/15 23:59 E) JIB CRI RISE HIGH (LIT IN NIGHT) OPR WI 1NM 5129N 00007W, HGT 770FT AMSL (VAUXHALL, CENTRAL LONDON), OPS CTC 020 7820 3151 12-10-0429/USA 2. ", which translates as" In the London Aviation Information Area a constraint has been established that affects both instrument and visual traffic Aerodrome and the traffic of the route are affected.The barriers are from surface to 800 ft of amsl and positioned within a radius of 1 nm from 51 Â ° 29 'N 000 Â ° 07'W The constraints will last from 1700 hours on 7 January 2013 to 2359 hours on March 15, 2013. This is a high rise jib crane (lit up at night up to 770 feet amsl).
125.9 MHz is the VHF communication frequency for control towers at London Heliport, callsign Battersea Tower.
2. ^ 122.9 MHz

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References

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External links

• AAIB formal report : https://www.gov.uk/aaib-reports/aar-3-2014-g-crst-16-january-2013
  • Air Crash Investigation Branch: "Special Bulletin Published - Agusta A109E accident at Vauxhall, London." January 23, 2013. (Archive)
  • "Special Bulletin S1/2013 - Agusta A109E, G-CRST." (Archive)
  • AAIB Bulletin S1/2013 SPECIAL - preliminary report from AAIB, January 23, 2013 (Archive)

Source of the article : Wikipedia