Kamikaze Pilot
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39-year-old from Sutton named as second victim of London helicopter crash as police chief speaks of disbelief that accident did not claim more livesAmerican civil war has now become worldwide white community civil war
As the heading says, foreign whites are joining the war in individual capacity. All over the world, whites are taking sides in this conflict. From South Africa to New Zealand, from Canada to Australia, from Bolivia to Serbia, from Cuba to Germany, from Argentina to Ukraine, from Mexico to Denmark, from Falklands to Russia – all are taking active interest. Hence western societies have become divided along ACW lines. Because the choice varies from person to person. Not a single white person is remaining neutral once he has been told of the matter. Same was the case in earlier edition of ACW. Other countries were not really disinterested. By claiming to be neutral, Britain had actually supported the Union in 19th century. Reminds me of a line from the movie No Man’s Land, “Neutrality does not exist in the face of murder. Doing nothing to stop it is, in fact, choosing. It is not being neutral.” Whites from as diverse walk of life as politics and cricket are getting involved. Whatever decision governments take, an opposing cabal is emerging in those states to unofficially help the ‘team’ of their personal preference.
- Matthew Wood, 39, died after the helicopter came crashing down onto the street in Vauxhall during peak rush hour
- RotorMotion pilot Pete Barnes, 50, worked on films such as Die Another Day, Tomb Raider II and Saving Private Ryan
- Helicopter hit crane at top of The Tower St George Wharf in central London today and cartwheeled before exploding
- Struck ground just 20 yards from Vauxhall station and area was evacuated because of precarious position of crane
- Two people died and at least 12 injured - one critically - in crash involving helicopter flying to Elstree, Hertfordshire
- Four out of five injured people taken to hospital have been discharged
- Plume of smoke visible at 8am with bystanders saying weather was bad and 'you could hardly see top of building'
- Eyewitnesses saw 'a flash and helicopter plunged to the ground' and said 'people were screaming after it crashed'
- London Fire Brigade: Eight fire engines, four fire rescue units and 88 firefighters attended along with ambulances
- Firefighters trying to make structure safe and insist there is 'no imminent risk of crane collapsing at the moment'
- Air Accidents Investigation Branch begins investigation to establish if proper procedures were followed by pilot
- MI6 'went into lockdown' but London's Counter Terrorism Command says there's 'nothing to suggest terrorism link'
By Mark Duell, Hugo Gye, Christian Gysin and Larisa Brown
PUBLISHED: 08:22 GMT, 16 January 2013 | UPDATED: 23:04 GMT, 16 January 2013
Police officers have this evening named the second victim of this morning's horrific helicopter crash in central London.
Matthew Wood, 39, from Sutton, died after the helicopter came crashing down onto the street in Vauxhall during peak rush hour.
The pilot, named earlier as Pete Barnes, was flying the helicopter when it flew into a newly-built tower before hitting the ground.
This evening, Metropolitan Police Commander Neil Basu spoke of his disbelief that the crash did not claim more lives.
The police boss said: 'It was something of a miracle that this was not many, many times worse.'
The tragedy could have been immeasurably worse because the aircraft hit the ground just 20 yards from Vauxhall train station, which is a major commuting hub in the capital and an extremely busy route at peak time.
Dozens of trains packed with hundreds of commuters were passing through the area as they used the busy station during peak rush hour.
Train drivers had to stop their engines because they could not see as plumes of smoke drifted across the tracks.
The pilot who died in a crash which also killed Mr Wood, who was on the street, was today named as experienced aviator Pete Barnes.
He had requested to divert via Heathrow air traffic control and land at Battersea Heliport, due to bad weather conditions, when the helicopter hit a construction crane at the top of the tower near Vauxhall Bridge at 8am.
Mr Barnes, 50, who flew a helicopter for James Bond film Die Another Day and had been an air ambulance pilot, was pronounced dead at the scene.
It was the first ever fatal helicopter crash in central London since records began in 1976.
The AgustaWestland AW109 twin-engine helicopter, which struck the under-construction The Tower St George Wharf, was reported to have been carrying Mr Barnes but no passengers.
One witness claimed the crane driver had a lucky escape after being unusually late for work.
The aircraft was using the route of the River Thames and was believed to have been heading from Redhill, Surrey, to Elstree, Hertfordshire, to collect an executive, whose identity is as yet unconfirmed.
Witnesses reported very low cloud at the time of the accident, suggesting the pilot may not have seen the crane, which was barely visible from street level. At least two cars were hit by debris.
The area was evacuated because of the precarious position of the crane at the top of the tower.
Five of the 12 injured were taken to hospital and the other seven were treated at the scene, ambulance officials said. Three were taken to St Thomas’ Hospital.
Two went to King’s College Hospital but were discharged by the afternoon.
A reception centre for members of public involved in the incident was also set up by London Ambulance Service staff.
Just one person remains in hospital after the tragic crash, as four of the five people taken to A&E after being injured the collision have been sent home.
Both St Thomas' and King's College hospitals have released two of their patients who were being treated for minor injuries after the incident.
Another patient, believed to have broken their leg, still remains at St Thomas' Hospital in south London and is expected to be kept there overnight.
A spokesperson for St Thomas' said: 'Of the three patients admitted to St Thomas' Hospital following the incident in Vauxhall, two have been discharged and one remains as an inpatient.'
A representative from King's College Hospital added: 'Following the helicopter crash in London this morning, we can confirm that the two patients being treated at King's College Hospital for minor injuries have been discharged.'
Pauline Cranmer of London Ambulance Service said: 'There were a number of injuries that would potentially be consistent with being hit by debris. Our primary concern is about treating the injuries.'
She added that two people were pronounced dead at the scene by air ambulance crews.
Mr Barnes was a former ski instructor who had worked for charter company RotorMotion since 1997. In a wide-ranging UK career spanning 18 years, he had done everything from fly air ambulances to working as a pilot on adverts, TV programmes and films
He contributed to filming for the BBC and Sky News, and worked on films such as Die Another Day, Tomb Raider II and Saving Private Ryan, as well as providing his services to adverts and sporting events, and has been described as one of the most experienced Agusta pilots in the UK.
Mr Barnes, a graduate of the University of Derby, claimed on his LinkedIn online profile to have 25 years of experience as a pilot, and said he had clocked up more than 10,500 hours of flying in a helicopter - as well as 500 hours flying a plane.
In 2004 he helped rescue a motorist from a flooded ford in County Durham, while working for the Great North Air Ambulance.
He also flew the Newcastle Traffic & Travel helicopter as the Voice of Metro FM and worked as a helicopter instructor.
Captain Philip Amadeus, managing director of RotorMotion, said the aircraft was on a commercial flight from Redhill, in Surrey, to Elstree.
He said: 'Our main priority now is for the family of the pilot and we extend our greatest sympathy to the friends and relatives of those who have died and been injured.'
One eyewitness said the helicopter was 'rocking and shaking from side to side' before crashing. A worker at the New Covent Garden Flower Market, around 200 yards from the crash site, said some debris from the crash - believed to be the gearbox - hit somebody working there in the leg.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution was searching the Thames as part of the emergency services' response to the accident. The charity launched an inshore lifeboat in the aftermath of the crash.
Adam Halawa described discovering how his brother had been taken to St Thomas' Hospital after the crash.
'I heard my brother was involved and got a call from another relative,' he told the BBC.
'I came rushing, panicking, I was really upset because I was scared in case my brother was inside the car with the fire.
'I came to him and he was in shock, he looked very scared. I was just worried about him.
'It just happened unexpectedly, you never expect something like that to happen to you and something like that to happen to my family.
'He is ok, he is just in shock. I just need to go in and speak to him.'
Terry Alkins, 28, and Joe O'Dwyer, 44, were working on an adjacent building site when the helicopter crashed into the crane.
Mr Alkins said: 'It was around 8am and we just heard this massive bang. We ran off the site and down the road and seconds later we saw the helicopter or what was left of it in flames lying on the road. From what I saw I will be amazed if the pilot survived. There were at least three cars on fire, including a silver Range Rover and there were some motorbikes strewn over the road.'
Mr O’Dywer added: ‘It was so foggy this morning that you couldn't see the crane, which is attached to the residential tower that's being built.’
The London Fire Brigade said it had received numerous calls about the incident. Eight fire engines and four fire rescue units and 88 firefighters plus officers attended the scene.
The London Ambulance Service sent a motorcycle responder, six ambulance crews, its hazardous area response team and two officers to the scene.
The first crew was at the area in less than four minutes. The air ambulance medical team were also dispatched in a car.
The incident happened close to the MI6 headquarters, which reportedly went into lockdown for a short period when the helicopter first crashed over fears the spy office may have been under attack.
Witness Robert Oxley told Sky News: ‘There’s a very low hanging cloud which means you can hardly see the top of the building and that would explain why the helicopter hit it.
'This is right next to Vauxhall Bus Station, which is a major commuting point. We arrived to find the area sealed off. Suddenly everyone was exiting their vehicles.'
Police said there was nothing to suggest a terrorism link to the crash. ‘There's nothing in our world at this stage,’ a spokesman for London's Counter Terrorism Command said. ‘There's nothing to suggest any terrorism link.’
Peter Cowup, assistant commissioner at London Fire Brigade, said: 'We're doing what we can to make that safe and working with specialist contractors to assess the damage sustained to the crane. At the moment there's no imminent risk of that crane collapsing.'
The crash happened close to the home of Gareth Thomas, the former Welsh rugby star who is now competing in Dancing on Ice.
He tweeted his shock at the collision: 'OMG!!! In car on way to skating and just hearing the helicopter has crashed metres from my home!! Hope everyone in the area is OK.'
Local resident Colin Kavanagh told MailOnline there was a 'huge explosion'. He was eating breakfast and looked out to see a huge plume of smoke and 'men in fluorescent jackets running around'.
Eyewitnesses took to Twitter to report details. One said the helicopter crashed close to a railway line.
Another user posted a dramatic photograph showing burning wreckage in the road. Commuter Sherna Noah described a ‘large plume of dark grey smoke’ as she crossed Battersea Bridge at 8am.
She said: ‘I was coming across the bridge and basically I could see a few cyclists on the bridge looking towards the water.
Read more: Vauxhall Helicopter crash: Matthew Wood named as second victim along with pilot Pete Barnes | Mail Online
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