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The Independent
09-05-2025
- The Independent
Paramotors ‘came down very quickly' after crash, inquiry told
A hillwalker who photographed two paramotors flown by climate activist Sacha Dench and cameraman Dan Burton as they collided in the air said they 'came down very quickly', an inquiry has heard. 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.
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.
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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.'
The Independent
08-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Cameraman killed in mid-air crash during world record attempt had ‘raised concerns'
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. 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.
Daily Mail
08-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Cameraman who died in mid-air collision while filming 'Human Swan' Sacha Dench in world record attempt raised concerns before fatal crash, inquiry told
A cameraman who died following a mid-air crash while filming a world record attempt by 'Human Swan' Sacha Dench had raised concerns about stress before the tragedy, an inquiry has heard. Dan Burton, 54, died after his paramotor was in collision with one flown by colleague Ms Dench, a climate activist, in the Highlands in Scotland on September 18 2021. Ms Dench, an Australian biologist known as the 'human swan' for how she follows swans migrating from Russia to the UK, was trying to travel 3,000 miles around the UK 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 at Tain Sheriff Court today heard that concerns had been raised about stress by those involved in the expedition including Mr Burton, due to a '24/7' workplace culture. The potential for a collision between pilots had been highlighted on a risk assessment form, the hearing was told. Giving evidence, Charlotte Harrison-Littlefield, who used to be social media manager for Conservation Without Borders, a charity founded by Ms Dench, told how she had been involved as a volunteer. She said she was then paid as the project exceeded the planned timescale, and told the inquiry 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'. Giving evidence, Ms Harrison-Littlefield said Mr Burton had raised concerns about stress, and there had been a 'heated' conversation between workers, volunteers and the two pilots. She added that Ms Dench was 'the boss in this scenario' and 'there was no hard outcome', the inquiry heard. Ms Harrison-Littlefield said that 'whilst on expedition we were essentially volunteering 24/7, it was seven days a week'. She also spoke of being '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 wellbeing, 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.' Ms Harrison-Littlefield recalled how, 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'. 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 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.' Ms Dench (pictured in a photo she previously shared on social media) suffered serious injuries in the mid-air collision that happened in September 2021 Ms Harrison-Littlefield 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'. They then decided to drive the route where the pilots 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.' A 20-minute film shown at Cop26 in Glasgow in November 2021 - and an hour-long TV documentary by actress Joanna Lumley - were previously aired as tributes to Mr Burton. While Miss Lumley initially told The Times she wanted to back away from the project, relatives of both Ms Dench and Mr Burton urged her to broadcast the programme. Both films used footage shot by father-of-two Mr Burton, whose funeral at Topsham, Devon, was on October 8 2021. Miss Lumley was a keen supporter of Miss Dench's Round Britain Climate Challenge. She said after the tragic accident: 'Please say how heartbroken I am and that Dan was the best company, brave as a lion and an expert in his field. 'All thoughts and prayers are with his family and with Sacha, who is the best of the best and has become a darling friend.' The Absolutely Fabulous star became aware of climate activist Ms Dench - a distant relative of Dame Judi Dench - after spotting her fundraising campaign. Miss Lumley said previously: 'Sacha Dench's adventures are stories you can only dream of - facing down all barriers and blessed with the courage of a lioness she literally soars into history books, and inspires everyone. 'Sacha is clawing attention towards the greatest crisis mankind has faced in recorded time.' The inquiry continues in front of Sheriff Neil Wilson.
