Pilot who died in helicoper crash was diverted

Published on 23/01/2013 00:55

THE pilot who died in a helicopter crash in central London had been diverted because of bad weather before his aircraft clipped a crane and then plunged to the ground, an inquest was told yesterday.

Pete Barnes, 50, died from multiple injuries after his helicopter hit a high-rise crane on The Tower at St George Wharf, Vauxhall, and crashed into Wandsworth Road. Mr Barnes, a father of two, had been flying from Redhill Aerodrome in 
Surrey to Elstree in Hertfordshire but was diverted to Battersea heliport due to the bad weather, Southwark Coroner’s Court heard.

Coroner Andrew Harris said he would review the case in three months and did not set a date for a future hearing.

Mr Barnes, from Berkshire, was single, the inquest heard.