Investigation concludes fatigue and high altitude contributed to death of RAF mountaineer in Pakistan
A Service Inquiry into the death of an RAF mountaineering expert says there’s no clear reason why he decided to descend from a peak alone, leading to a fall which killed him.
Wing Commander Gordon Henderson was part of the British Services Mountaineering Expedition to Broad Peak Mountain in Pakistan in July 2022.
He’d been climbing to Rocky Summit on the world’s 12th highest mountain with the Expedition Leader when the pair became separated.
An alarm was raised, but the Wing Commander’s fall had been witnessed by a civilian climber from a different group who later reported what he’d seen.
Wg Cdr Henderson was seen to be trying to descend from a ridge approximately 8035 meters up, when he fell.
His body was later discovered around 600 meters below, but attempts to recover it were unsuccessful.
The British Services Mountaineering Expedition (BSME), involves members from all three services.
It usually takes place every four years although this expedition had been delayed from 2020 by Covid.
Wg Cdr Henderson was a highly experienced climber.
He was a member of the RAF Mountaineering Association and held a number of qualifications.
However, this was the first time he had attempted to climb above 8000 metres – a height he had reached before he turned back and the fatal fall occurred.
A week after that incident two other members of the expedition were hit by a rockfall as they tried to cross the Gondogoro La mountain pass in the same range.
One was very seriously injured and needed to be stretched off the mountain before being transported back to the UK for treatment at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.
An inquiry panel investigated both incidents, concluding that fatigue and the high altitude likely contributed to the death of Wg Cdr Henderson.
It’s made a number of recommendations for any future expeditions.
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