An AgustaWestland AW109 crashed in thick fog into a construction crane atop a London residential high-rise on Wednesday morning, killing the pilot and one person on the ground and sparking a fire when the helicopter plunged to the ground.
According to news reports from London, 13 others were injured in the crash near a busy intersection at the height of the morning rush hour in the city center. Amid fears of a terror attack, police were quick to term the crash an accident and nothing more. The crash site is located close to MI6’s headquarters.
The bent crane dangled precariously from atop the 60-story building after the crash as police cordoned off the street below to keep back crowds that gathered for a better look. A witness to the scene told Flying it was a foggy morning with a cloud base below the top of the tower and the crane.
The nearby London Battersea Heliport issued a statement saying the pilot was headed there after he asked controllers at London Heathrow Airport to divert because of low ceilings.
The helicopter destroyed in the crash was a UK-registered Agusta 109E Power built in 1998.
