Bike star's helicopter came down seconds after warplanes roared past

Published on Monday 28 April 2008 22:24

A HELICOPTER crashed killing a motorcycle champion shortly after two low-flying military jets passed nearby, an inquiry heard yesterday.

An eyewitness reported seeing the jets flying through a valley around the time the helicopter Steve Hislop was piloting crashed in the Borders.

Hislop, 41, a Scot, was the reigning British superbike champion when he was killed after visiting friends in July 2003.

The helicopter, which he had borrowed from a friend, came down in moorland at a farm near Teviothead, off the A7 close to Hawick, shortly after 11am.

A fatal accident inquiry into the death began at Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday.

Maureen Briggs, a school auxiliary, told the inquiry she was in her garden when she heard a helicopter noise overhead, followed "seconds" later by the sound of jets and then a bang.

"Suddenly, there was a terrific noise of two jets," said Mrs Briggs, 63, of Woodbrae Cottage in Teviothead.

"They were on their sides going up each side of the valley, very low. I heard them and saw them. It was immediately after the helicopter."

John Kirk, fiscal depute, asked: "How long after the noise of the helicopter was it that you heard the jets?" and Mrs Briggs replied: "Seconds."

She added: "Then there was this terrible bang of some kind, a really terrific noise. I thought it was a bit unusual."

Alistair Cook, 36, a childhood friend of Hislop, told the court that he saw a small helicopter flying overhead in Teviothead then 30 seconds to two minutes later, heard jets.

"There was a hell of a noise right above my mother's house. I'm sure it was military jets that were very low," said Mr Cook, who stated such aircraft were common in the area.

"My dog was used to the noise of the jets at the time and it came running in from the garden and lay on the floor underneath my legs. I got a fright as well," he added.

"It was like a sonic boom or something like that from the jets. I never heard anything after that."

Other witnesses spoke of seeing a Chinook helicopter in the area about the same time.

Hislop was born in Hawick and had spent three days staying with his friend Andrew Brodie, 48, near the Borders town after flying up from Buckinghamshire.

Mr Brodie said his friend had been "absolutely meticulous" in the planning of his return flight south. The strewn wreckage from the helicopter was discovered about 4:30pm.

A post mortem examination revealed Hislop had died from multiple injuries caused by the crash.

The Ministry of Defence is being represented during the inquiry, which is expected to last a week.

Hailed as one of the fastest motorbike racers ever, Hislop, nicknamed "Hizzy" was a popular face at racetracks around the country and a regular race-winner.

He won the British superbike title in 1995 and 2002 and also won 11 races at the Isle of Man TT.

He survived two horrific accidents during his career, breaking his neck at Brands Hatch in a 120mph crash in 2000.

He also crashed into a wall as he fought for a title at Rockingham.

His riding career was not without its problems, and Hislop lost sponsorships with Ducati and Yamaha then Kawasaki.

He lived on the Isle of Man before his death but had been planning to return to live in the Borders.

The inquiry continues.

PILOT BEMOANED BAD WEATHER

STEVEN Hislop sent a text message complaining about the weather just hours before the crash, a fatal accident inquiry heard yesterday.

He began his flight despite the poor weather conditions, the court heard.

The court was told how, on the morning of the crash, Wendy Stevenson, a friend, received a text message from him. It read: "F****** rain, it will no be until after lunchtime until I get away."

Miss Stevenson told the court she sent a reply, asking him to be careful.

Mr Hislop had only been piloting helicopters for "one or two months", but telephone calls to the National Air Traffic Service for a weather report less than an hour before the crash, showed "meticulous planning" for the flight.