The UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch has concluded a pilot died after his AgustaWestland AW109E hit a crane on a construction site on 16th January 2013 after the River Thames helicopter route had become non-viable due to two cranes facing each other on opposite sides of the river.


The pilot was flying under visual flight rules and was “unable to stay clear of cloud” while positioning the helicopter to land at London’s Battersea heliport. The fact that two cranes had been situated on opposite sides of the aviation route had not been picked up by any authorities, something which could have given the pilot an alternate visual option. Although the helicopter pilot was the only person in the helicopter a pedestrian was also killed as the aircraft crashed.


The report makes numerous recommendations to create a better environment for aircraft using the airspace of London’s ever developing skyline and it’s likely this will have knock on consequences for building regulations and the construction industry more generally.