Inquest opens after the death of grandmother as helicopter landed in Plymouth's Derriford
The five day inquest will be looking at what changes have been made
Last updated 11th Nov 2024
The family of an 87 year grandmother - who was blown over and died when a helicopter landed at Plymouth's Derriford Hospital - have told an inquest she lost her dignity in what happened.
Jean Langan was attending a hearing aid appointment as the Newquay-based search and rescue helicopter came to land in one of the car parks.
She - and her niece - were both knocked off their feet despite being in a public area as they walked through a car park beside the closed-off helicopter landing site.
A safety investigation has since made nine safety recomendations - and cited previous incidents - with a five-day inquest today getting underway looking at what changes have been made.
Today the inquest jury were shown video footage of the helicopter landing in car park B - where retired civil servant Jean Langan was walking through along with her niece Gael on March 4, 2022.
Ms Langan, who was 155cm tall and weighed 50kg was today described for the jury as 'quite a small person' and also a 'healthy individual' - as the Home Office pathologist outlined her head injuries as a result of being blown over.
The coastguard helicopter, G-MCGY based at Newquay Airport, had been undertaking a search and rescue mission to extract a casualty from a river near Tintagel in Cornwall just after 10am and take them to the hospital for emergency treatment.
An air accident investigation branch report later found the area outside the landing site, which was based in a secured area within one of the public car parks, was subjected to high levels of downwash (see detailed explanation below) from the landing helicopter.
The incident has led to nine safety recommendations being made, after the investigation found 'the hazard of helicopter downwash in the car parks adjacent to the landing site was not identified, and the risk of possible injury to uninvolved persons was not properly assessed'.
What have the family of Ms Langan said?
The jury were told the 87 year old's death, after attending an appointment at Derriford to have a hearing aid fitted, was something which has affected her family immensely.
In a family portrait of the deceased, read by the coroner, Ms Langan was described as 'kind and generous' and a 'key figure' for the wider family who loved spending time outdoors in nature. The jury heard she enjoyed trips to National Trust properties and nature reserves with her son and grandchildren.
Ms Langan, who had lived with extended family in Plymouth for 30 years after retiring as a civil servant, was described as an expert in knitting as well as a keen recycler.
Her family told the inquest that she would not have enjoyed the attention her death has resulted in, and how she had 'lost the quiet dignity that she would have chosen'.
What exactly happened and were previous incidents also noted?
The air accident investigation branch report found that: "A number of helicopter downwash complaints and incidents at Derriford Hospital were recorded and investigated - action was taken in each case to address the causes identified, but the investigations did not identify the need to manage the downwash hazard in Car Park B, so the actions taken were not effective in preventing future occurrences."
The report also found that: "Helicopters used for Search and Rescue and Helicopter Emergency Medical Services perform a vital role in the UK and, although the operators of these are regulated by the UK Civil Aviation Authority, the many helicopter landing sites provided by hospitals are not."
It added: "It is essential that the risks associated with helicopter operations into areas accessible by members of the public are fully understood by the (landing site) keepers, and that effective communication between all the stakeholders involved is established and maintained."
The report warned: "The operator of G-MCGY was not fully aware of the Derriford Hospital (DH) Helicopter Landing Site (HLS) Response Team staff’s roles, responsibilities, and standard operating procedures. The commander of G-MCGY believed that the car park surrounding the DH HLS would be secured by the hospital’s HLS Response Team staff, but the co‑pilot believed these staff were only responsible for securing the HLS."
It added: "The DH staff responsible for the management of the HLS only considered the risk of downwash causing harm to members of the public within the boundary of the HLS and all the mitigations focused on limiting access to this space.The DH staff responsible for the management of the HLS had insufficient knowledge about helicopter operations to safely manage the downwash risk around the site. Prior to this accident, nobody at DH that the AAIB spoke to was aware of the existence of Civil Aviation Publication (CAP) 1264, which includes additional guidance on downwash and was published after the HLS at DH was constructed. The document was not retrospectively applicable to existing HLS."
After the incident the Maximum Takeoff Weight of a helicopter up was limited to below 5,000kg and Car Park B was closed to all vehicles other than ambulances pedestrian movements were controlled as much as 'practicable' during helicopter movements.
How exactly was Jean Langan injured?
According to the report, 'the fatally injured person and her relative were walking unaided back to their car in Car Park B after an outpatient’s appointment. The car was located just around the corner from the end of the footpath on the southern edge of the (helicopter landing site) HLS. As they approached the end of the footpath, they heard a helicopter and saw it descending. Not realising there was an HLS there, the relative thought it was going to turn away and fly somewhere else. However, as it continued to descend, they stopped and looked up at it believing it was landing on the ‘building’ that they were walking around.
"At this point the relative saw the fatally injured person being lifted off the ground by the downwash, before landing on the ground. The relative was also blown over onto her back but did not leave the ground. Once the relative was able to assist the fatally injured person, it was apparent she was unconscious and had suffered a serious injury to the rear of her head. The relative then shouted for help and an off-duty nurse and her daughter responded. While the nurse tended to the fatally injured lady, the daughter went to find paramedics at "some of the nearby ambulances, who came to assist.
The relative sustained some minor injuries to her hand, ankle and, subsequently, suffered from some back pain. The relative had made many previous visits to DH, but had never been so close to a landing helicopter, and was unaware that the landing site was so close to Car Park B.The relative was aware of the yellow signs on the wall by the footpath that state ‘Danger of downdraft downwash and flying debris.’ However, she did not feel they reflected the severity of the danger. Her understanding was that any downdraft might blow someone’s hat off, but not physically lift people off their feet."
What is helicopter downwash?
The report says: "For an aircraft to remain airborne, the total lift must equal its weight. In the case of a helicopter, the lift is generated by the main rotor blades, which displace air as they rotate at a constant speed. The displaced air is called the downwash, and when the helicopter is at altitude, this disperses into the surrounding air with little, or no effect at ground level. As a helicopter slows, the downwash disperses less effectively, and it becomes more concentrated into a vertical column of descending air. As a helicopter descends, the downwash will eventually impinge on the ground and dissipate outwards in all directions. This horizontal movement of the air is sometimes referred to as sidewash. The resultant wind speed at ground level, and how the downwash dissipates depends on many factors including local climatic conditions, helicopter speed, weight, height above the ground, and airflow interaction with objects such as buildings, trees and cars etc."
What did the inquest hear on its opening day?
The jury were told the inquest was not examining the incident - or at least re-examining what the Air Accident Investigation Branch report had covered - but instead looking at what happened and any subsequent changes.
The Plymouth-based detective constable who investigated the circumstances of the death did give evidence about his role and a Home Office pathologist outlined the medical findings from Ms Langan's autopsy.
The jury were also shown video footage of the helicopter landing and heard a statement from Ms Langan's niece.