Helicopter crash in downtown London

Locutus

Adorable Deplorable
Jun 18, 2007
32,230
47
48
66
2 dead as helicopter hits crane & crashes in London



TWO people have died and 12 left injured after a helicopter burst into flames when it struck a massive crane and plunged onto rush-hour traffic in London.

A major incident was triggered by the horror crash after the chopper hit the structure by the St George Wharf Tower development in Vauxhall close to the river Thames at 8am.

The pilot of the helicopter - who was killed in the tragic accident - was named by Press Association today as Pete Barnes.

The stricken helicopter - reported to be travelling from Gatwick to Elstree - then turned into a "fireball" and "spiralled into the ground", shocked onlookers said.



more


Helicopter ‘hits crane’ and crashes in Vauxhall, south London | The Sun |News
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
117,418
14,310
113
Low Earth Orbit
Miraculously the worker who was meant to be operating the wrecked crane was saved because he was late for work " for the first time in years".

The lucky crane operator is believed to have been running up to an hour late with most of the construction site’s workers normally arriving by 7am, according to eyewitnesses.
He couldn't get a decent traffic report?

 

Blackleaf

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 9, 2004
49,927
1,910
113
It's amazing that only two people were killed considering that it happened in the centre of a city of 9 million in an area surrounded by many of large buildings. 12 were injured.

The helicopter pilot, one of the two fatalities, has been named as 50-year-old Peter Barnes, a member of flying club RotorMotion. He flew helicopters in 50 movies including Die Another Day, Tomb Raider II and Saving Private Ryan.

The other fatality was on the ground.

The crash happened around 8am in Vauxhall in central London in the London Borough of Lambeth on the south bank of the Thames. Nearby are Vauxhall Bridge and the MI6 building (which seems ironic considering Mr Barnes appeared in a James Bond movie).

MI6 'went into lockdown' but London's Counter Terrorism Command says there is 'nothing to suggest terrorism link'.

His AgustaWestland AW109 twin-engine helicopter, which struck the under-construction residential tower block The Tower St George Wharf, was reported to have been carrying Mr Barnes but no passengers. One witness claimed the crane driver had a lucky escape after being unusually late for work.

Eyewitnesses saw 'a flash and helicopter plunged to the ground' and said 'people were screaming after it crashed'. Eyewitnesses said the helicopter cartwheeled before exploding.

The aircraft hit the ground just 20 yards from Vauxhall station, which is a major commuting hub in the capital. It was using the route of the River Thames and was believed to have been heading from Redhill, Surrey (just south of London), to Elstree, Hertfordshire (just north of London), to collect an executive.

Witnesses reported very low cloud at the time of the accident, suggesting the pilot may not have seen the crane, which was barely visible from street level. At least two cars were hit by debris. The area was evacuated because of the precarious position of the crane at the top of the tower.

London Fire Brigade said eight fire engines, four fire rescue units and 88 firefighters attended along with ambulances.

Five of the injured were taken to hospital and the other seven were treated at the scene, ambulance officials said. Three were taken to St Thomas’ Hospital. Two went to King’s College Hospital but were discharged by the afternoon. A reception centre for members of public involved in the incident was also set up by London Ambulance Service staff.

Pauline Cranmer of London Ambulance Service said: 'There were a number of injuries that would potentially be consistent with being hit by debris. Our primary concern is about treating the injuries.' She added that two people were pronounced dead at the scene by air ambulance crews.

London Mayor Boris Johnson is visiting the scene.


Pilot: Pete Barnes was flying the helicopter which crashed into a crane in London








The underconstruction residential skyscraper which the helicopter hit


The damaged crane


















Before the crash: This is the normal view of the under-construction The Tower St George Wharf in London


Similar: An Augusta 109 helicopter like the one that crashed in Vauxhall, central London


Read more: Helicopter crash in Vauxhall, London: 2 dead and 13 injured as aircraft hits crane on Thames skyscaper | Mail Online
 
Last edited:

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
117,418
14,310
113
Low Earth Orbit
It's not how high you fall from, it's how high you bounce that gets ya.

If you take the e out of Boeing , it's boing.
 

Blackleaf

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 9, 2004
49,927
1,910
113
The other victim of yesterday's helicopter crash in London has been named as 39-year-old Mark Woods.

Mr Woods, from Sutton in south London, was walking to his job at a Rentokil office when he was hit by debris after the helicopter, piloted by 50-year-old Pete Barnes, hit a crane constructing a new skyscraper, which is to be Europe's tallest residential tower block.


Matthew Wood was walking to work when he died

A statement from the firm said: "A sad day for us all.

"Our colleague, Matt Wood, was fatally injured yesterday in the helicopter crash in Vauxhall as he walked to work."

Mr Wood's next door neighbour Yvonne Humphries, 63, said: "He lived on his own but he was always having friends round - he had lived here for about 12 years.

"I just can't believe it - I was listening to the news this morning and they said someone from Sutton died, I can't believe it's him.

"He was just a lovely, cuddly guy."

The brother of helicopter pilot Pete Barnes said it would have been his "instinct" to do whatever he could to minimise casualties.

Chris Barnes, 55, from Nottingham, paid tribute to his "good guy" brother, adding: "It's a matter of instinct, it's what pilots do.

"He had 25 years and 10,500 hours experience. He was very good at what he did."

An investigation is now under way into why the helicopter hit the crane on The Tower, One St George Wharf, in South Lambeth on Wednesday morning.

Twelve people were injured and five of them were taken to hospital. One person suffered a broken leg while the others had minor injuries.


Pete Barnes had worked as a pilot on action films

Cars and two buildings caught fire after the burning wreckage from the helicopter fell into Wandsworth Road, which remains closed.



BBC News - London helicopter crash: Crane driver feels 'lucky' he was late

And for those who don't believe in fate or guardian angels just read this amazing story of the two men who had both never been late for work until yesterday when BOTH overslept - and missed becoming two more fatalities of yesterdya's helicopter crash:

Two workmen last night thanked ‘divine intervention’ for their astonishing escape from death as a helicopter crashed into their crane and turned into a fireball.

The pair should have been in the cabin when disaster struck, sending burning debris cascading 700ft on to the rush-hour streets of London below.

Instead, Richard Moule and his colleague Nicki Biagioni were late for work – both had overslept for the first time in years – and missed death by minutes.

The crash, which happened at 8am yesterday in fog, claimed two lives, including that of the helicopter pilot, and left 12 injured. But police said it was ‘a miracle’ that the toll was not higher after the helicopter sliced through the crane ‘as if it was a piece of paper’, scattering wreckage over the streets of Vauxhall, South London.


Richard Moule (top) with his wife Stephanie, and Nicki Biagioni (bottom), pictured with wife Leanna, should have been in the crane cab in Vauxhall when the helicopter hit


What remains: A view today of the broken crane after the helicopter accident in Vauxhall, central London, that saw two people die and a dozen more injured yesterday


Father-of-two Mr Moule, 31, told the Daily Mail: ‘My colleague and I were both supposed to be there at 7am but we were both late.

‘It was the first time I’ve been late since starting this job three years ago. I just woke up late. Call it divine intervention if you like.

‘I went in on my motorcycle and got there about 7.45am. I was in the basement ready to go up when it happened.

‘I didn’t hear an explosion. The first I knew was when an alarm went off and people were being evacuated.

‘The first thing I did was call my wife Stephanie and tell her, “You’ll be hearing about this but I’m OK”. She gave me a big hug when I got back home.’

Mr Biagioni’s wife Leanna said that her husband, a father of three, had also overslept.

She said: ‘He overslept this morning, something he never does and was late for work. He was not up the crane when it hit.

Chaotic commute: Thick smoke rises from the burning debris which fell in the middle of a road. Emergency services personnel can be seen flocking to the crash site

Street of flames: An inferno rages near the crash site and encroaches on a car, after a river of aviation fuel from the downed helicopter caught light


Mangled wreckage: The crane next to Britain's tallest residential skyscraper, the Tower at One St George Wharf, was struck as the pilot 'struggled to see through the fog'

‘I thank his guardian angel.’ Mr Biagioni, 30, who is the principal crane operator, was over an hour late for work. Friends said he was normally woken by his three children – sons Rocco, six, four-year-old Dino, and Luca, two – but yesterday they had slept in.

He was just arriving at the site on his motorbike and driving down a ramp to park in front of the crane as the helicopter hit.


 
Last edited: