Chopper pilot warned not to fly prior to London crash

The Associated Press

LONDON — An official report on last week's helicopter crash in central London says the pilot was warned about bad weather before he started his ill-fated flight.

Pilot Pete Barnes and one person on the ground died in the Jan. 16 crash in London's Vauxhall neighborhood.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch said Wednesday that Barnes' client had advised him not to start the flight because of foul weather.

He was trying to pick up the passenger in Hertfordshire, northwest of London, when he hit a crane seconds after requesting permission to land at a London heliport because of bad weather.

Text messages released by the investigators show that another pilot warned Barnes of freezing fog in the area.

Barnes had 25 years' flying experience and had flown helicopters in several movies.