In the news

If 800 ft is minimum and crane was 700 + it sounds like the planners might get some heat.

I have watched that tower go up on my commute. Nothing that high around it. Pilot very unfortunate to be on that course.

Fox, your comment is much more interesting than any of the mainstream media today.

800 is typical at that point and approximate. No reason whatsoever why the planners should get any heat, a NOTAM had been issued so the pilot should have been aware. Of course if the pilot had only checked for NOTAMs on their planned route and not on the diversion... But I'm speculating now. Doesn't change the fact the copter shouldn't have been anywhere near as close to the building as the crane was.

Other than the Keybridge House tower (London telecoms centre) Cap Gemini empty tower block, and the rest of the St George's Wharf development? Admittedly they're not 700m, but still of significant height and strategic importance.

As Fox has pointed out, the river is used as the flight path, and the tower is right on the river, and tall buildings are going to cause localised bits of weather. Can't say that the safety lights on it were particularly large or obvious - I can see the Shard ones from my desk and that's 2 miles away? I was struggling to see the one on the crane last night, but it was there.

I've just been out for a fag - the rest of the jib is still just hanging there slightly propped up by a balcony.

Oh and crane was meant to be 770m - not much between that and the minimum flying height.

Oh and crane was meant to be 770m - not much between that and the minimum flying height.

This. (Lets assume you meant ft)

Like I said, that's approximate, and if you'd been specifically informed of it via a NOTAM the responsibility is yours as a pilot to avoid it. If the NOTAM said it was 770ft high you'd be very irresponsible to buzz it at 800ft.

If the warning light hasn't been working they could have filed a NOTAM for that. For all I know that may have been what the NOTAM said, I've not seen it. But a pilot should not be reliant on warning lights alone, it is also their responsibility to be within the VFR mimima when flying visually as I said.

@pipwish - thanks, it's not hard, sadly...

Why has hover fire truck not made the news?

(Some scary photos there. As with everyone, I'm hoping the best for all involved).

The car's number plate is 'shopped out so as not to alarm anyone who knows the driver?

I would assume so. They've not named those involved yet so families won't have been reached yet.

Petrifying. And this is exactly why the approach to the heliport goes over the Thames (that and in the event of a mechanical you're better off ditching in water than onto the ground). Just.

Reports suggest this fog came down quickly

Although on the flipside, fog was being forecasted last night.

What a horrible tragedy. It's dreadful that it should have happened in connection with the Vauxhall Tower, which is one of the worst architectural abominations to hit London for years. It should never have got through planning.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2012/dec/02/london-high-rise-craze-ruins-skyline

RIP victims.

a NOTAM (Notice To Airmen) was issued over a week ago.

Looks like they simply reissued an existing one dating from 30th Oct last year.

Q) EGTT/QOBCE/IV/M /AE /0/8/5129N00007W
A) EGLC
B) 12/10/30 10:30 C) 13/01/24 09:00
E) HIGH RISE JIB CRANE (LIT AT NIGHT) OPR WI 1NM 5129N 00007W, HGT 770FT AMSL (VAUXHALL, CENTRAL LONDON), OPS CTC 020 7820 3151 12-10-0429/AS 2.

Q) EGTT/QOBCE/IV/M /AE /0/8/5129N00007W
A) EGLC
B) 13/01/07 17:00 C) 13/03/15 23:59
E) HIGH RISE JIB CRANE (LIT AT NIGHT) OPR WI 1NM 5129N 00007W, HGT 770FT AMSL (VAUXHALL, CENTRAL LONDON), OPS CTC 020 7820 3151 12-10-0429/AS 2.

The NOTAM can be found here - http://ukga.com/pib/view?pibid=L0120/13

NOTAM L0120/13
L0120/13 (OTH) London Heliport
N51°29.00 W000°07.00 1nm
Monday, 7 Jan 17:00 to Friday, 15 Mar 2013 23:59
Elevation: SFC - 800
HIGH RISE JIB CRANE (LIT AT NIGHT) OPR WI 1NM 5129N 00007W, HGT
770FT AMSL (VAUXHALL, CENTRAL LONDON), OPS CTC 020 7820 3151
12-10-0429/AS 2.

Other NOTAMs in the same location

C0071/13 (OTH) London City
N51°29.00 W000°07.00 1nm
Monday, 7 Jan 17:00 to Friday, 15 Mar 2013 23:59
Elevation: SFC - 800
HIGH RISE JIB CRANE (LIT AT NIGHT) OPR WI 1NM 5129N 00007W, HGT
770FT AMSL (VAUXHALL, CENTRAL LONDON), OPS CTC 020 7820 3151
12-10-0429/AS 2.

Also, these pages from the heliport may be of interest:

http://www.londonheliport.co.uk/londonheliport_enviroment.html
http://www.londonheliport.co.uk/londonheliport_pilotinformation.html

Fox, your comment is much more interesting than any of the mainstream media today.

Of course it is. Media love to ignore the facts.

To be fair there aren't many facts to go on and what there is has been reported.

The problem is people love to speculate and jump on these incidents instantly, despite their high level of ignorance on the subject in question.

Great example just now on Radio 4, Kate Hoey on the World at One to complain about the number of helicopter flights over her constituency which have 'gone up massively in recent years' (or words to that effect). Presenter then points out that the figures show the number of flights has actually declined.

#owned

There's also the issue that if following the river, a minor miss of the corner in the fog would put you in crane interaction territory. Also the 30ft between crane and 800ft minimum can easily be negated by a 1mb discrepancy in altimeter settings.

VFR not IFR so shouldn't have been relying on altimeter. Also why would there be a discrepency? Pressure information is issued regularly by ATC.

What time did this happen again? It was after 8 wasn't it? In which case it would have been light and the lamp wouldn't have been lit anyway (based on the NOTAM saying lit at night).

Helicopters are a fucking abomination. There I said it.

METAR for London City airport at 0750 GMT was

EGLC 160750Z VRB02KT 0700 R09/P1500 R27/P1500 FZFG BKN001 M03/M03 Q1012

VRB02KT - variable winds, 2 knots
0700 - visibility 700ft
FZFG - Freezing fog
BKN001 - Broken cloud at 100ft
M03/M03 - temperature -3 degrees C

Bold comment from someone on PPRuNe

I would think that's a rather moot point. If you need an accurate altimeter reading in order to avoid impacting buildings then you have no business flying VFR there in the first place.

More obvious than bold, as I said up there you should not be relying on instruments in VFR flight.

@whatok - I agree, you wouldn't catch me in one! Planes have wings for a reason...

Fox, how come you know so much about this stuff?