Police Scotland helicopter tragedy
The Police Scotland helicopter that crashed onto the roof of a city centre pub in Glasgow at 22:25 hrs on Friday 29 November has now been removed from the incident site. The Eurocopter EC-135 T2 was Police Scotland’s sole aircraft and was leased from Bond Helicopters. The three helicopter crew all died in the incident, and so far nine bodies have been recovered from the wreckage of The Clutha pub.
The Police Scotland helicopter that crashed onto the roof of a city centre pub in Glasgow at 22:25 hrs on Friday 29 November has now been removed from the incident site. The Eurocopter EC-135 T2 was Police Scotland’s sole aircraft and was leased from Bond Helicopters. The three helicopter crew all died in the incident, and so far nine bodies have been recovered from the wreckage of The Clutha pub.
Chief Constable Sir Stephen House confirmed the names of the crew as Constable Tony Collins, aged 43; Constable Kirsty Nelis, aged 36; and Captain Dave Traill, aged 51. Constable Collins and Constable Nelis were members of Police Scotland’s Operational Support Division, and Captain Traill worked for Bond Aviation Services but was ‘very much part of the Police Scotland team’. Chief Constable House further commented: “I would like to pay tribute to all three and recognise the important contribution they made to our public service and to the communities they have served.”
Thirty-two people were taken by ambulance from the accident scene on Friday night and 12 remain in hospital. Rescuers are now working on recovering any additional bodies from the wreckage of the pub.
The helicopter will be taken to a secure site for detailed investigation by Police Scotland’s major investigations team. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch is carrying out its own enquiry to try to establish the cause of the crash. The helicopter was one of many that had undergone safety checks last July as a precaution on the advice of operator Bond Aviation Services, but it was classed as safe to continue service.