Coroner Rules Afghan Helicopter Crash Was "Avoidable Accident"

Flt Lt Geraint Roberts (left) and Flt Lt Alan Scott (right) 

Flight Lieutenants Alan Scott and Geraint "Roly" Roberts died after a Puma Mk 2 helicopter crashed while trying to land at Nato's Resolute Support mission headquarters in the Afghan capital Kabul on October 11, 2015.

They were among five people killed, who included 44-year-old security worker Gordon Emin and two US military personnel, while five others were injured.

The inquest at Oxford Coroner's Court heard how the crew lost control of the aircraft after it hit a cable tethering a surveillance balloon to a base station near the landing site.

Coroner Darren Salter delivered a narrative verdict and concluded the pilots and crewmen had become "fixated on the landing site" and failed to observe the air balloon, resulting in a "momentary lack of situational awareness" which led to the crash.

The coroner described the incident as an "avoidable accident", saying the proximity of the balloon to the landing site and the lack of management of the soccer field were contributory factors. 

The inquest had previously heard how the crew were unable to land on the football pitch because there were players on it.

After the verdict, the sister of Gordon Emin said:

"It is our sincere wish that the recommendations highlighted this week are put into place to prevent other people having to cope with other tragic and avoidable losses of life. We will now work with our lawyers at Fieldfisher to pursue a civil claim against the MoD in the hope of providing some financial security for Gordon's wife and children who are suffering so deeply from losing their father."

A statement by the Ministry of Defence was issued in response to the verdict, saying:

"The MoD will consider the findings and recommendations made by the coroner in order to ensure that such tragic events do not happen again in the future."