Battersea Helicopter Crash Inquest

[Cave Canem]

Almost three years after the tragic crash in Battersea in poor visibility that resulted in the death of the pilot and a bystander, the inquest continues...

Restaurant baron Richard Caring said today that he didn't put "one iota" of pressure on a doomed helicopter pilot to fly in torrid weather conditions.
The owner of The Ivy and several other leading London eateries, who was No 112 on The Sunday Times Rich List in 2012, told an inquest into the pilot's death that he felt like he himself was "on trial."
Captain Peter Barnes, 50, died after his helicopter clipped the crane on top of a skyscraper in fog before crashing to the ground, killing him and a man on his way to work and injuring 12 others.
His widow, testifying three years after the event, said yesterday that her husband was a "very experienced" pilot and was not looking forward to the flight because of the poor weather forecast.
On January 16 2013, he had taken off from Redhill Aerodrome, in Surrey, and was on his way to collect Richard Caring, The Ivy restaurateur, in Hertfordshire and take him to a shooting party in North Yorkshire.
But the bad weather forced him to divert to Battersea heliport because of foggy and freezing weather conditions and he crashed as he made his approach.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/12017056/Owner-of-The-Ivy-says-he-did-not-pressure-crash-pilot-into-flying.html

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Work for millionaires, and they will ask you to do the physically impossible for their social gratification. Ask Princess Diana's driver. Ask Me. I told them to shove it, and I'm still alive.

[glad rag]

Saluer.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

The jury found Mr Barnes's decision to divert to Battersea, after receiving a text message from a client, was also unsafe and inappropriate.
Jurors concluded: "Mr Barnes was likely to have felt under pressure to land at Battersea."
They added: "The 7.55am text message he received from a client prompted his decision to divert, and was likely to have been read as the landing preference of a significant client, regardless of intention.

The general commercial pressure within a small company to keep such a client happy may have been exacerbated by that client's disagreement with another pilot there a fortnight earlier and an investigation into a third pilot."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... finds.html

[Tall Bird]

I may have missed something but I cannot see, in any of the media reports, any mention of the client's name now whereas it was prominent prior to the verdict.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

..and how many journalists do you think like dining at The Ivy?

[500N]

It's in the Daily Wail but then again, what isn't !

[Ex-Ascot]

Fox3 I agree totally. I have told a PM and half of his cabinet to 'shove it'. Well it was more along the lines of, 'With the greatest of respect sir... blah, blah, blah' It was a crew duty time issue on that occasion. I have pushed it well over many times but this one was right over the top. I still broke the rules on crew rest, I think the cabin crew only got about 5hrs sleep.

[Rwy in Sight]

Ex-Ascot, I have a similar conversation with a friend working in relaxed, well paid, no targets to meet job in public administration. He thinks excuses for not doing things rather doing them like people working in a corporate environment.

I think it would have been very easy for the customer (with no understanding of safety issues) not to hire the same company next time with all the associated losses for the company while the PM can only use the Air Force. And I am aware that the pot goes to the river many times only one it breaks or something similar.

[Ex-Ascot]

Sorry old friend but I think that you mean The 'Royal' Air Force and in fact no he/she can charter any aircraft they want. The great lady often flew with Shell Aviation because it was cheaper (or free?). I had to do the costings for these flights. It was complicated. Fuel, aircraft maintenance etc was easy. However how do you cost the crew? They are paid by the crown so are their pensions. Do you throw all that in? In the end I made Caribbean flights cheap but Bangladesh expensive - just joking honest.

[Rwy in Sight]

Thanks for the answer. I am more concerned about a pilot working for a private company being in a lot or pressure to keep a customer happy while less pressure is applied to an Air Force crew (some poor English here so if you correct that also I would be grateful).

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Go read the accident report where the President of Poland died.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Poli ... -154_crash

IIRC, the Head of the Air Force came up to the flight deck and basically ordered the Captain to attempt to land. I also recall someone commenting that another Polish Captain had been sacked (illegally,on a made-up charge) for refusing to land in similar circumstances a few months earlier.

What do you do?

Me, I started a new career (in a new country), but it ain't so easy if you have a family to feed and your current top boss and the President of your country hates you.

[Ex-Ascot]

I recall an incident when I was just a lowly copilot when the CAS came onto the flight deck and said, 'I will fly this sector'. The Captain told him that he wasn't qualified on type and please take his seat down the back. OK, he never made it past Flt Lt but he was correct. The commander of the aircraft is God. End of story.

It's not bad being a retired God these days.

[MoreAviation]

I recall an incident when I was just a lowly copilot when the CAS came onto the flight deck and said, 'I will fly this sector'. The Captain told him that he wasn't qualified on type and please take his seat down the back. OK, he never made it past Flt Lt but he was correct. The commander of the aircraft is God. End of story.

It's not bad being a retired God these days.

The difference between being a sky god and earth is a simple 2 degree movement on the cyclic under stress methinks. With respect to a good pilot.