On 16 January 2013 there was a tragic accident after a helicopter crash with a crane above the St George Wharf Tower near Vauxhall. The helicopter was diverting to the London Heliport in Battersea.
Tall structures such as wind turbines, buildings, chimneys and cranes can breach imaginary protected surfaces surrounding an airport, which means they can present a safety risk resulting in planning issues and objections
We have recently released an online Obstruction Assessment to help manage the coexistence of tall structure and airports, to ensure aviation safety. We have run the online Obstruction Assessment to assess the St George Wharf Tower and crane for the London Heliport in Battersea to establish whether the St George Wharf Tower and Crane breached the London Heliport safeguarding rules.
The assessment was run in accordance with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) CAP 168 methodology, which is specifically applicable to UK Licensed Airfields. Included in the assessment is Pager Power’s Expert Commentary, which covers areas such as aviation lighting requirements.
The report shows that neither the tower, nor the crane, breach any of the protected surfaces around London Heliport and both tower and crane should have warning lights.
