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Russia helicopter crash 'quite extraordinary' | |
(about 4 hours later) | |
A helicopter crash in Russia in which two British men were killed was "quite extraordinary", a coroner has said. | |
Mark Robertson and Rupert Beaumont, both 69 and from Hook, Hampshire, were on a fishing trip south of Murmansk last year when it happened. | |
The men's inquest heard they had been dropped off by a helicopter which then toppled over. Its rotors caused them "catastrophic head injuries". | |
Coroner Andrew Bradley recorded a verdict of accidental death. | |
Corporate lawyer Mr Beaumont and art dealer Mr Robertson had just left the Eurocopter aircraft, which had ferried them to a fishing spot popular with tourists, when the accident happened in July 2013. | |
The two anglers were killed instantly, along with their Russian guide, when they were struck by the helicopter's rotors. | |
'Push the boundaries' | 'Push the boundaries' |
The inquest in Basingstoke heard accident investigator Paul Hannant's verdict was that the helicopter had made an "extremely hard landing". | |
As a result, a bracket securing the landing gear sheared off, causing the helicopter to topple over. | |
Mr Bradley said there were problems with the case because the only witness to the crash was the 60-year-old Russian helicopter pilot, who told investigators it had been a "smooth landing". | |
The dead men's families raised concerns that the helicopter was being operated under a private rather than commercial licence. | The dead men's families raised concerns that the helicopter was being operated under a private rather than commercial licence. |
The coroner said: "There seems to be some vested interest to get in and get out as quickly as possible. That might cause one to push the boundaries." | |
Mr Bradley agreed to a request from the Beaumont family's lawyer to ask the Air Accident Investigation Branch to approach their counterparts in Moscow. | |
Speaking after the hearing, Mr Beaumont's son James called the crash "a huge tragedy for all three families". | |
"Our only aim now is to do what we can to ensure the risk of another accident is reduced. | |
"There exists a major concern the current operation in Russia does not have sufficient safety procedures in place," he said. |
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