The Anonymous Widower

Let’s Not Get Paranoid about Helicopter Accidents Over Cities

We’ve now had two serious helicopter accidents over cities in the UK in the current year. The first at Vauxhall in January wasn’t as serious as Friday’s in Glasgow, but there are similarities.

Both occurred in city centres close to their landing sites and were operated by probably professional companies and flown by experienced pilots.

So how common are these sort of accidents?

Look at this list of helicopter accidents on Wikipedia.  Only two seemed to have involved helicopters falling to the ground over cities, in countries with a good record of aviation safety. One was in Auckland, New Zealand and the other was in Phoenix in the United States. Both of these accidents, involved collisions, which could also be said about the Vauxhall accident.

I get helicopters, operated by the Metropolitan Police and the London Air Ambulance over my house all the time.

But am I worried that one will drop out of the sky on me?

No! I think the odds are more likely that a stray vehicle will hit me on a zebra crossing!

December 1, 2013 - Posted by AnonW | Transport | Flying, Glasgow, Helicopter, Walking