Accidental death verdict in Steve Hislop inquiry

Pilot error was not to blame for the fatal helicopter crash that killed Steve Hislop, according to a determination by Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

The Sheriff recorded a verdict of accidental death following an inquiry into what caused Hislop’s helicopter to come down on a remote hillside in the Borders region of Scotland in 2003.

Hislop appears to have tried to avoid bad weather, but the manoeuvre was so difficult that few pilots would have been able to complete it successfully, the Sheriff noted.

While little evidence was available to assess whether mechanical failure was to blame for the crash, what was clear is that the main rotor of the aircraft had hit the tail boom.

More details in the June 11 edition of MCN.