Inquest hears that helicopter toppled over while dropping off Mattingley friends Rupert Beaumont and Mark Robertson
A coroner will write to the Russian authorities expressing safety concerns after two friends died when their helicopter toppled over as they were dropped off for a fishing trip in Russia.
Retired international lawyer Rupert Beaumont and fine art dealer Mark Robertson, both 69 and from Mattingley, near Hartley Wintney, were flown a short distance by the Eurocopter EC120B from their hotel, 93 miles south-east of Murmansk in north-eastern Russia, on July 21 last year.
But the helicopter, flown by an experienced pilot, made a heavy landing, causing part of its landing gear to collapse.
The tourists and their guide had left the helicopter, which then fell over onto its side, causing its rotor blades to strike the three men.
An inquest held in Basingstoke on Wednesday heard both men died as a result of ‘catastrophic’ head injuries.
Paul Hannant, senior inspector for the Farnborough-based Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), said the rotor blades turning into the ground caused the helicopter to spin around like a ‘paddle steamer’.
He said the 60-year-old pilot was very experienced, having completed 11,500 hours of flight time with 300 hours in that type of helicopter. But Mr Hannant also said the pilot had completed 67 hours in the previous 28 days and, on the day of the accident, had already made nine landings.
Matthew Reeve, representing the Beaumont family, expressed concern the helicopter service was not being run as a commercial operation, despite being part of the holiday package, and therefore was not abiding by stricter safety conditions.
He said: “The family is extremely concerned there are people leaving the UK and elsewhere, going to Russia and not getting the standards of commercial flying which they are entitled to.”
Recording a verdict of accidental death for the two men, coroner Andrew Bradley said he would write to the AAIB expressing those concerns and ask for them to be forwarded to the Russian authorities.
He said: “There seems to be some kind of vested interest in getting in and out very quickly and one wonders if there is any compromise in operational procedures which causes one to push the boundaries.”
After the hearing, Mr Robertson’s son Tim said: “They were unlucky. We are happy the formal process is over and we share the concerns flights should have been operated under a commercial license. If they were flying under a license, this kind of accident could be prevented for others.”
Father-of-two Mr Beaumont was a senior partner at London law firm Slaughter and May for 33 years until his retirement in 2001. He had been a director of the New Zealand Golf Club in Addlestone since June 2005.
At the time of his death, Christopher Saul, a partner at Slaughter and May, told the News & Mail: "Rupert was a remarkable man.
"He brought brilliance and creativity to his legal practice and was admired and respected by colleagues and clients alike.
"He went out of his way to nurture young talent here at the firm and was the very personification of energy, charm and humor. He will be enormously missed."
- Story: http://www.gethampshire.co.uk
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