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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.
Belfast Telegraph
09-05-2025
- Belfast Telegraph
Paramotors ‘came down very quickly' after crash, inquiry told
Dan Burton, 54, died after his paramotor crashed with one flown by colleague Ms Dench, known as 'the human swan', near Loch Na Gainmhich in Sutherland, the 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. Witness Paul Nelson gave evidence to a fatal accident inquiry at Tain Sheriff Court on Friday. He said at around 4.20pm, he was returning from a walk and heard the sounds of motors overhead, and began taking photographs which were provided to police. He said: 'I took the camera out as soon as I saw them, just general interest, it was quite unusual.' Mr Nelson told the inquiry the weather was 'sunny, I think it was cloud-free, I don't think it was windy', and said 'they were flying towards me, I think they were following the road'. He said initially the photos showed the pilots 'one above the other' and he 'couldn't really tell how close they were, who was in front and who was behind', but he added: 'As I kept taking photos I noticed the person who was originally higher descend.' The inquiry heard that in a statement given to police, Mr Nelson said: 'As I kept taking photographs I noticed the person who was originally higher to descend and come below the person who was originally below them… as I continued to watch on I saw the higher glider then catch the para-sail of the glider who was below them and both of them dropped at quite fast pace.' The statement added: 'Both gliders then dropped quite fast and struck the ground.' Fiscal depute Jemma Eadie said: 'Did you have any concerns about the manner of flying?' Mr Nelson said: 'No.' Describing the crash, he said: 'I didn't really know what happened I just knew they crashed into each other and came down, I didn't really have an opinion of who crashed into who, it all happened very quickly. I saw it all through the lens of the camera.' Mr Nelson told the inquiry the two pilots 'came down very quickly'. Ms Eadie said: 'Do you have any views about what caused the accident?' Mr Nelson said: 'I do, yes. I think the top glider dropped in front of the other glider.' Cross-examined by Peter Littlefair, who is representing Mr Burton's widow Caroline Burton, Mr Nelson said he heard the pilots talking to each other. Mr Littlefair said: 'In terms of the pilots, you heard the engine noise, did you hear any communication?' Mr Nelson said: 'I think I heard them talking yes, there was no wind.' He added he could not hear the conversation but recalled 'the sound of voices', the inquiry heard. Questioned by Ms Dench's representative Simon Richards, Mr Nelson said he believed the black paraglider dropped into the path of the green paramotor. The witness said: 'I think they [the black paramotor] just came down at an angle, it wasn't a noticeable drop.' He told the inquiry he spent around 45 minutes with both casualties, and recalled Ms Dench asked 'Why did he clip me?'. Mr Nelson said: 'I approached Sacha first, I asked her name, if she was okay, if she had any pain, she said to me 'why did he clip me?' Mr Richards said: 'Did you respond?' Mr Nelson said: 'No I didn't.' Questioned by Ms Eadie, Mr Nelson said: 'I don't recollect change in engine noise. The inquiry before Sheriff Neil Wilson has now been adjourned until September.
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.
South Wales Guardian
08-05-2025
- General
- South Wales Guardian
Cameraman killed in mid-air crash had raised concerns about stress, inquiry told
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. 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. 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. 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. 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. The statement said: 'Today she tried mixing 20% butanol with 80% 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.' 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. 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.' 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. '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.' The inquiry continues in front of Sheriff Neil Wilson.
Glasgow Times
08-05-2025
- General
- Glasgow Times
Cameraman killed in mid-air crash had raised concerns about stress, inquiry told
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. 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. 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. 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. 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. The statement said: 'Today she tried mixing 20% butanol with 80% 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.' 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. 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?' The fatal accident inquiry into the death of Dan Burton is taking place at Tain Sheriff Court (Alamy/PA) Ms Harrison-Littlefield said: 'Yes, to my knowledge I don't remember it being an official part of my capacity on the expedition.' 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. '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.' The inquiry continues in front of Sheriff Neil Wilson.
