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@Fox
^^^ Or, you know, we could just not jump to conclusions and let the CAA investigation run its course?
It's highly likely that the fog had much more to do with it than the location of the crane.
Pilots should have been aware of the crane as a NOTAM (Notice To Airmen) was issued over a week ago. The approach into EGLW is an approach under Visual Flight Rules (VFR), which means the pilot doesn't have any automatic systems flying the helicopter, it's done visually and the aircraft is controlled by the pilot.
VFR is permitted by the CAA in VMC (Visual Metreological Conditions - i.e. if you can see, and it's not too foggy) - makes sense, right. Reports suggest this fog came down quickly, and the pilot had requested a diversion from a planned route which didn't include Battersea, so it seems likely the request to divert was due to a worsening of the VMC, and the pilot was presented with far from ideal flying conditions (a VFR approach through fog in a busy city with tall buildings would definitely involve increased pilot workload).
The VFR mimima (how far you need to be able to see) for helicopters in the UK is 1500m.
The flight path for the approach to EGLW is up the river and onto the helipad which sticks out into the river. There's therefore no reason I can see why the helicopter involved in the crash should have been so close to the south bank of the Thames. It should also have been higher at that point - at least 800ft (I believe the height of the crane was 700 and something).
All that said, the pilot could have been incapacitated, there could have been a mechanical failure...
Who knows.