Hillwalker photographed last moments of tragic paramotor crash in Highlands
A hillwalker watched a fatal paramotor accident unfold through the viewfinder of his camera, a court has heard.
Paul Nelson told a fatal accident inquiry into the death of Dan Burton that he had been walking on Glas Bheinn in Sutherland when he spotted two paramotors in the sky.
Conservationist Sacha Dench was at the controls of one and cameraman Mr Burton in the other when they collided, causing them both to fall to the ground.
The inquiry at Tain Sheriff Court previously heard that Ms Dench and Mr Burton, 54, had been part of a charity expedition attempting a world record for electric paramotoring around the coast of Britain.
The expedition had been organised by Ms Dench's charity Conservation Without Borders to raise environmental awareness in advance of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow.
The fatal flight was the second of the day, with Mr Burton having been left 'shaken' by the landing of the earlier flight
Mr Burton died following the collision on September 18 2021.
Mr Nelson was giving evidence on the second day of the inquiry before Sheriff Neil Wilson.
Under questioning from fiscal depute Jemma Eadie, he confirmed he had been hillwalking at Glas Bheinn when the tragedy unfolded.
He had been on a path at the bottom of the Corbett when he heard and saw the two paramotors approaching.
Because it was 'quite unusual' he trained his camera on the pair and began to photograph them.
In a statement to police he said: 'As I kept taking photos, I noticed the person who was originally higher to descend and come directly in front of the person who was below them.
'As I continued to watch on, I have seen the higher glider catch the parasail of the glider below them and both the gliders have dropped at quite a fast pace.'
Mr Nelson told the court he could hear the pair talking to each other whilst still in the air.
Describing a photograph he took during the incident, which has been entered into evidence, he said: 'It looks as if one of the parachutes closed – it looks as if they are tangled.'
Asked in court if he was able to describe the collision in greater detail, he said: 'No, as I said, it was all through the viewfinder of the camera.
'I didn't really know what happened until I looked at the photos. I just know that they had crashed into each other and come down.'
He added: 'It was very quick.'
The court heard that Mr Nelson had spoken to Ms Dench at the scene, at which point she asked: 'Why did he clip me?'
Ms Dench herself is expected to give evidence to the inquiry when it reconvenes in September of this year.
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Hillwalker photographed last moments of tragic paramotor crash in Highlands
A hillwalker watched a fatal paramotor accident unfold through the viewfinder of his camera, a court has heard. Paul Nelson told a fatal accident inquiry into the death of Dan Burton that he had been walking on Glas Bheinn in Sutherland when he spotted two paramotors in the sky. Conservationist Sacha Dench was at the controls of one and cameraman Mr Burton in the other when they collided, causing them both to fall to the ground. The inquiry at Tain Sheriff Court previously heard that Ms Dench and Mr Burton, 54, had been part of a charity expedition attempting a world record for electric paramotoring around the coast of Britain. The expedition had been organised by Ms Dench's charity Conservation Without Borders to raise environmental awareness in advance of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow. The fatal flight was the second of the day, with Mr Burton having been left 'shaken' by the landing of the earlier flight Mr Burton died following the collision on September 18 2021. Mr Nelson was giving evidence on the second day of the inquiry before Sheriff Neil Wilson. Under questioning from fiscal depute Jemma Eadie, he confirmed he had been hillwalking at Glas Bheinn when the tragedy unfolded. He had been on a path at the bottom of the Corbett when he heard and saw the two paramotors approaching. Because it was 'quite unusual' he trained his camera on the pair and began to photograph them. In a statement to police he said: 'As I kept taking photos, I noticed the person who was originally higher to descend and come directly in front of the person who was below them. 'As I continued to watch on, I have seen the higher glider catch the parasail of the glider below them and both the gliders have dropped at quite a fast pace.' Mr Nelson told the court he could hear the pair talking to each other whilst still in the air. Describing a photograph he took during the incident, which has been entered into evidence, he said: 'It looks as if one of the parachutes closed – it looks as if they are tangled.' Asked in court if he was able to describe the collision in greater detail, he said: 'No, as I said, it was all through the viewfinder of the camera. 'I didn't really know what happened until I looked at the photos. I just know that they had crashed into each other and come down.' He added: 'It was very quick.' The court heard that Mr Nelson had spoken to Ms Dench at the scene, at which point she asked: 'Why did he clip me?' Ms Dench herself is expected to give evidence to the inquiry when it reconvenes in September of this year.
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