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Press and Journal
09-05-2025
- General
- Press and Journal
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.
The Independent
08-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Inquiry hears claims ‘cameraman flew into back of activist' in fatal crash
The trustee of a charity founded by climate activist Sacha Dench claimed that a cameraman who died following a mid-air collision 'didn't communicate by Bluetooth' and flew into the back of her, an inquiry has heard. Dan Burton, 54, died after his paramotor was involved in a crash with one flown by colleague Ms Dench, known as 'the human swan', near Loch Na Gainmhich in Sutherland, Highlands, on September 18 2021, during a bid to break a world record and raise awareness of climate change ahead of Cop26. Ms Dench suffered serious injuries and was taken to hospital in Inverness before being moved to Aberdeen, where she gave an account to a trustee of the charity she founded, Conservation Without Borders, a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) at Tain Sheriff Court heard. The charity's trustee Steven Holland gave evidence and said that he signed off a risk assessment which he believed was based on previous expeditions. He said that 'two or three days' before the fatal crash there had been an issue with an electric paramotor, and defended the risk assessment which he said was likely to have been 'adapted' from the previous Flight of the Swans expedition, the inquiry heard. Mr Holland said: 'About two or three days before the incident there was a failure of an electric powermotor. The electric powermotor had caused issues from the start, they have a shorter range and have issues with pushing boundaries of technology. It was deemed to be too unreliable.' He said Mr Burton and Ms Dench had worked together previously and the cameraman 'called the shots', and that the charity's priority after his death was assisting the two women acting as ground crew as they were 'quite young', the inquiry heard. Peter Littlefair, representing Mr Burton's widow Caroline, said that a payment of £800 had been agreed for Mr Burton for the remainder of the expedition, which Mr Holland described as a 'gift' during his evidence to the inquiry. Giving evidence, Mr Holland said Mr Burton 'didn't communicate by Bluetooth, she did not hear his voice at all, I think Bluetooth was live all the time so if someone was in range it would connect'. He added: 'If he was within range and had spoken she would have been able to hear.' Mr Holland said: 'I know it was good enough for normal functional conversations.' He also told the inquiry that Mr Burton made all the decisions around flying, but described Ms Dench as 'operational lead'. Mr Littlefair said: 'Do you think an external reviewer would have been more appropriate?' Mr Holland said: 'How he came to fly into the back of her and didn't communicate, I'm not sure what a risk assessment could do about that. Sacha was saying she was hit from behind.' Under questioning from fiscal depute Jemma Eadie, Mr Holland defended the risk assessment. Ms Eadie said: 'Asked if you made independent inquiries, you said you had made an assumption. You read this as a non-pilot, effectively signing the risk assessment off. 'You're saying 'on the face of this, this looks reasonable' without having pilot experience.' Mr Holland said: 'They both had experience flying in the UK and across Europe, I think it's a safe assumption on what they had done before and since Flight of the Swans.' Earlier the inquiry heard that Mr Burton had raised concerns about stress before the collision. Charlotte Harrison-Littlefield, formerly social media manager for Conservation Without Borders, told the inquiry: 'There were several occasions where Dan Burton expressed to me and others about frustrations with the working environment and general progress of (the) expedition. 'The expedition was chronically behind in terms of where we should be geographically and how many people we interviewed. The time the expedition was due to take – six weeks – was extended to be a lot more. 'It was quite a stressful working environment, we were asked to get a lot done and didn't have time.' During cross-examination by Peter Anderson, representing the insurers of the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, the inquiry heard that Mr Burton had been 'shaken' by a landing after a flight earlier the same day. Ms Harrison-Littlefield said: 'I remember that the landing from the morning flight was not ideal. I remember that Dan was quite shaken when I collected him, I picked him up in the car.' She told the inquiry that Ms Dench 'had the final say' over decisions around flying. Giving evidence during cross-examination by Ms Dench's representative, Simon Richards, she described Ms Dench as a 'celebrity' and said that Mr Burton would fly above her, in order to capture her in footage, the inquiry heard. The inquiry continues in front of Sheriff Neil Wilson.
STV News
08-05-2025
- General
- STV News
Inquiry hears claims ‘cameraman flew into back of activist' in fatal crash
The trustee of a charity founded by climate activist Sacha Dench claimed that a cameraman who died following a mid-air collision 'didn't communicate by Bluetooth' and flew into the back of her, an inquiry has heard. Dan Burton, 54, died after his paramotor was involved in a crash with one flown by colleague Ms Dench, known as 'the human swan', near Loch Na Gainmhich in Sutherland, Highlands, on September 18 2021, during a bid to break a world record and raise awareness of climate change ahead of Cop26. Ms Dench suffered serious injuries and was taken to hospital in Inverness before being moved to Aberdeen, where she gave an account to a trustee of the charity she founded, Conservation Without Borders, a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) at Tain Sheriff Court heard. The charity's trustee Steven Holland gave evidence and said that he signed off a risk assessment which he believed was based on previous expeditions. He said that 'two or three days' before the fatal crash there had been an issue with an electric paramotor, and defended the risk assessment which he said was likely to have been 'adapted' from the previous Flight of the Swans expedition, the inquiry heard. Mr Holland said: 'About two or three days before the incident there was a failure of an electric powermotor. The electric powermotor had caused issues from the start, they have a shorter range and have issues with pushing boundaries of technology. It was deemed to be too unreliable.' He said Mr Burton and Ms Dench had worked together previously and the cameraman 'called the shots', and that the charity's priority after his death was assisting the two women acting as ground crew as they were 'quite young', the inquiry heard. Peter Littlefair, representing Mr Burton's widow Caroline, said that a payment of £800 had been agreed for Mr Burton for the remainder of the expedition, which Mr Holland described as a 'gift' during his evidence to the inquiry. Giving evidence, Mr Holland said Mr Burton 'didn't communicate by Bluetooth, she did not hear his voice at all, I think Bluetooth was live all the time so if someone was in range it would connect'. He added: 'If he was within range and had spoken she would have been able to hear.' Mr Holland said: 'I know it was good enough for normal functional conversations.' He also told the inquiry that Mr Burton made all the decisions around flying, but described Ms Dench as 'operational lead'. Mr Littlefair said: 'Do you think an external reviewer would have been more appropriate?' Mr Holland said: 'How he came to fly into the back of her and didn't communicate, I'm not sure what a risk assessment could do about that. Sacha was saying she was hit from behind.' Under questioning from fiscal depute Jemma Eadie, Mr Holland defended the risk assessment. Ms Eadie said: 'Asked if you made independent inquiries, you said you had made an assumption. You read this as a non-pilot, effectively signing the risk assessment off. 'You're saying 'on the face of this, this looks reasonable' without having pilot experience.' Mr Holland said: 'They both had experience flying in the UK and across Europe, I think it's a safe assumption on what they had done before and since Flight of the Swans.' Earlier the inquiry heard that Mr Burton had raised concerns about stress before the collision. Charlotte Harrison-Littlefield, formerly social media manager for Conservation Without Borders, told the inquiry: 'There were several occasions where Dan Burton expressed to me and others about frustrations with the working environment and general progress of (the) expedition. 'The expedition was chronically behind in terms of where we should be geographically and how many people we interviewed. The time the expedition was due to take – six weeks – was extended to be a lot more. 'It was quite a stressful working environment, we were asked to get a lot done and didn't have time.' During cross-examination by Peter Anderson, representing the insurers of the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, the inquiry heard that Mr Burton had been 'shaken' by a landing after a flight earlier the same day. Ms Harrison-Littlefield said: 'I remember that the landing from the morning flight was not ideal. I remember that Dan was quite shaken when I collected him, I picked him up in the car.' She told the inquiry that Ms Dench 'had the final say' over decisions around flying. Giving evidence during cross-examination by Ms Dench's representative, Simon Richards, she described Ms Dench as a 'celebrity' and said that Mr Burton would fly above her, in order to capture her in footage, the inquiry heard. The inquiry continues in front of Sheriff Neil Wilson. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Press and Journal
08-05-2025
- Press and Journal
Cameraman killed in paramotor crash had been left 'shaken' by earlier landing
A cameraman killed in the Highlands while on a charity air expedition around the coast of Britain had been left 'shaken' by a landing earlier that day, a fatal accident inquiry has been told. Dan Burton had been flying a paramotor to document conservationist Sacha Dench's round-Britain flight and world record attempt in the lead up to the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow. But when the pair failed to reach a landing point, their ground crew discovered the fatal crash scene – near Loch Na Gainmhich in Sutherland- with emergency services in attendance. The first day of evidence in the fatal accident inquiry, before Sheriff Neil Wilson at Tain Sheriff Court, heard from Charlotte Harrison-Littlefield, one of the expedition crew. She said the project was aimed at promoting the work of Conservation Without Borders – a charity co-founded by Ms Dench. Under questioning from fiscal depute Jemma Eadie, Ms Harrison-Littlefield told the court that on the day of the fatal crash, September 18 2021, she and a second ground crew member dropped Ms Dench and Mr Burton at their take-off site. They then travelled on to a potential landing spot at Scourie, between Ullapool and Durness, described in court as a 'checkpoint'. In a statement to police following the accident, she said: 'Sacha and Dan just flew past us and waved, so the next meeting place was Ullapool.' The two-person ground crew continued to that location, but became concerned when the two paramotors did not appear and their pilots did not make contact. She explained that it was normal practice for the crew to use the Life 360 app to track each other, as well as communicating by text, WhatsApp and calls. She said: 'We waited for us to hear from Sacha and Dan. When we were driving, we were driving it more directly, so it was common that we might arrive in a place that we thought they would land before they did. 'We waited a while and did not hear from them – we attempted to contact both themselves and some of the home crew of the expedition. 'I believe their answer was that they had not heard from Sacha Dench and Dan Burton since we had last seen them pass over the original checkpoint.' Ms Harrison-Littlefield said she and her crewmate had checked Life360 but the location had not been updated 'for a while'. Realising the pilots 'should have reached their location', the ground crew decided to drive back along the route to see if they could spot them. 'We drove that route and eventually came across the site of the accident,' she said. The court heard that the pair were on the A894 when they spotted 'the flashing lights of emergency vehicles'. They were stopped from accessing the site by emergency service workers, who subsequently requested next of kin details for the pilots. She said: 'We were advised that one of the flyers had passed away, then after a period of time, we were informed that it was Dan Burton.' The inquiry was told that an electric motor used to power Ms Dench's flights had been swapped out for a petrol version in the days before the incident, following an issue. Under questioning for Peter Anderson, on behalf of the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, Ms Harrison-Littlefield revealed that Mr Burton had been left 'shaken' following a landing from an earlier flight that day. She said: 'I remember that the landing for the morning flight was not ideal. Sacha and Dan had to land in separate locations -I think that was because of the weather. 'I remember Dan was quite shaken when I collected him' The court had heard evidence from Ms Harrison-Littlefield that members of the team, including Mr Burton, had raised concerns about the stressful nature of the expedition. She said: 'I do know that there were several occasions where Dan Burton expressed to myself and other members of the team, the frustration with the working environment and the general progress of the expedition. 'The expedition was clearly behind in terms of where we should have been geographically compared to the original plan.' She said it was 'quite a stressful working environment, we were asked to get a lot done and didn't have the time to achieve what was wanted and conversations about 'realistic aims' were not always heard.' At one point, Ms Harrison-Littlefield told the court, there was a 'big conversation' involving every member of the expedition crew that 'got quite heated' but that there was no 'hard outcome' as a result. She described the expedition as being 24/7 with 'little time for downtime'. She told the court that stress had come both from the demands of living and working alongside people they did not know, as well as in a 'work-related' form from Sacha Dench, who was 'the boss'. Asked whether Ms Dench deferred to Mr Burton for flying decisions, she said: 'I think that she would normally discuss it with him, but that the decision would normally be her. She added: 'I don't know what discussions took place on the day of the accident.' But Conservation Without Borders Trustee Stephen Holland – who had also signed off on a risk assessment for the project – contradicted this in his evidence, telling the court: 'In terms of flying, Dan was the lead. 'Dan very much called the shots – go or not go.' The inquiry – before Sheriff Neil Wilson – continues.
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Scotsman
08-05-2025
- General
- Scotsman
Cameraman killed in mid-air crash with 'human swan' had raised concerns about stress, inquiry told
Fatal Accident Inquiry into death of cameraman after collision in Highlands with Australian climate activist Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A cameraman who died following a mid-air paramotor crash with climate activist Sacha Dench while filming an attempt to beat a Guinness World Record had raised concerns about stress before the collision, a fatal accident inquiry has heard. Dan Burton, 54, died after his paramotor was involved in a collision with one flown by colleague Ms Dench in the Highlands on September 18, 2021. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ms Dench, an Australian biologist known as the 'human swan' for using a paramotor to follow swans migrating from Russia to the UK, was attempting to travel 3,000 miles around Britain by paramotor to highlight climate change ahead of the Cop26 conference. She survived but suffered serious injuries in the crash, which occurred near Loch Na Gainmhich in Sutherland, Caithness. Sacha Dench was attempting a world-first circumnavigation of mainland Britain to raise awareness about climate change when the crash happened, in which cameraman Dan Burton died | PA A fatal accident inquiry (FAI) at Tain Sheriff Court heard on Thursday that concerns had been raised about stress by those involved in the expedition including Mr Burton, due to a '24/7' workplace culture, and that the potential for a collision between pilots had been highlighted on a risk assessment form. 'Concerns' raised about stress Giving evidence, Charlotte Harrison-Littlefield, formerly social media manager for Conservation Without Borders, a charity founded by Ms Dench, told how she had been involved as a volunteer but was paid as it exceeded the planned timescale, and said she was 'concerned' about stress. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad She described the expedition as 'travelling around the coast of UK, a part of it was trying to break a world record', and said it also involved interviews and 'content' for Cop26″, the inquiry heard. She said on the day of the accident, the only two people left on the expedition apart from Ms Dench and Mr Burton were herself and another woman who acted as 'ground crew', and the pilots had flown past the agreed meeting point and waved as they passed, the inquiry heard. Ms Harrison-Littlefield gave a statement to police saying that one of the electric paramotors was out of use the day of the accident and so a petrol paramotor was used instead. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The statement said: 'Today she tried mixing 20 per cent butanol with 80 per cent petrol and did the first flight with no issues which was around 1.10mins… on the second flight which was just outside Dorness where the accident occurred she flew past Dorness past Scourie where we were supposed to meet.' She said the ground crew drove to Ullapool and attempted to contact the pilots but found that a tracking app 'hadn't updated in a while', and decided to drive the route where they had last been seen but came across emergency services, the inquiry heard. Ms Harrison-Littlefield said: 'We were advised that one of the flyers had passed away, after a period of time we were advised it was Dan Burton.' 'No formal training had been provided' in first aid, court told She said there had been a 'kind of away day' but 'no formal training had been provided', and she had a pre-existing St John Ambulance qualification in first aid. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad When asked by fiscal depute Jemma Eadie if one of her roles was to be a first aider, Ms Harrison-Littlefield said: 'Not in any official capacity.' Ms Eadie said: 'Does it come as a surprise to you that your name has been put down as first aider on risk assessment?' Ms Harrison-Littlefield said: 'Yes, to my knowledge I don't remember it being an official part of my capacity on the expedition.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Giving evidence, she said Mr Burton had raised concerns about stress, and there had been a 'heated' conversation between workers, volunteers and the two pilots, but Ms Dench was 'the boss in this scenario' and 'there was no hard outcome', the inquiry heard. She said that 'whilst on expedition we were essentially volunteering 24/7… it was seven days a week', and that she was 'concerned' about stress, with the group typically camping with people they interviewed, the inquiry heard. Ms Harrison-Littlefield said: 'There were several occasions where Dan Burton expressed to me and others about frustrations with the working environment and general progress of expedition. 'The expedition was chronically behind in terms of where we should be geographically and how many people we interviewed. The time the expedition was due to take – six weeks – was extended to be a lot more. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It was quite a stressful working environment, we were asked to get a lot done and didn't have time. Conversations about realistic ends were not always heard. 'There was at one point a big conversation about well-being, stress, and aims that I remember got quite heated, that I remember involved every member of expedition crew. 'I believe the outcome was just a general decision for us to try harder not to stress each other out, I don't believe there was a hard outcome.' She added: 'Work related stress came from Sacha Dench as she was essentially the boss in this scenario.'
