[shygirl]

a helicopter crashed into a pub in glasgow -

fingers crossed everyone is ok 

[ballingall]

Been watching it on the news. A guy I went to school with, Gordon Smart was an eyewitness, saw the helicopter fall. He said the engine was sputtering. He's been interviewed by the bbc, quite weird hearing him on tv. He's said on Facebook that people have been great just helping everyone.


Beth

[Ina]

Not that far from Queens Street Station - this could have been an even worse disaster. I never feel comfortable knowing there's something big flying above me.

[Rosemary]

Heard it on the news this morning. that everyone survives.

[lachlanandmarcus]

They are saying the 3 in helicopter dead and very serious injuries to some others :-((( so sad 

[doganjo]

News conference just now said 32 taken to hospital only one confined dead but more expected. BBC says all three in copter died.  Still looking to recover people from ruined building.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-25165057

[doganjo]

Trossachs Search and Rescue team have said their dogs and personnel have completed their search of site on behalf of the fire service.

[tizaala]

3rd police helicopter crash in recent times Pilots getting concerned according to Sky news.
The twin-engined Eurocopter EC135 T2 which came down on the pub is the third involving police helicopters in the west of Scotland.
[/color]In 1990, Sergeant Malcolm Herd died when a Bell Jet 206 helicopter crashed in bad weather at Eastwood Toll, Newton Mearns, Glasgow.[/size]
[/color]The 32-year-old father-of-four was in the former Strathclyde Police force helicopter when it struck the side of a block of pensioner's flats and fell to the ground.[/size]
[/color]Twelve years later in February 2002 another police helicopter crashed in a field 150 yards from Upper Wellwood Farm, near the village of Muirkirk, East Ayrshire.[/size]
[/color]The three men on board - Constable Kenneth Irvine, 35, Constable Neil McIntosh, 40, and civilian pilot Alfonso Gasparro, 31 - had what witnesses described as a "miraculous" escape.[/size]

[doganjo]

That's over a period of 23 years - have you any idea of the number of Police helicopters that are being used in Scotland and particularly on the West Coast, and how many commercial helicopters fly across Scotland to oil installations - not to mention the huge number of sorties they all make in a year?  This is media hype.

Three is too many I agree, and there have been others, but let's get things in perspective.  Let us hope that these 8 people who died last night didn't die in vain and that any faults with any of these planes, if that was the reason are rectified so it doesn't happen again.

Praise has been made of the Glasgow people who, as in previous incidents, didn't run to save themselves (the copter could have exploded and caused even more damage) but ran into the building to help get people ouit. That is the true spirit of our Nation.

[lachlanandmarcus]

agree re the accident record, I wouldn't call 1990 ' recent years ' ! and helicopters are never going to be the safest transport partly cos they're generally used in challenging terrain/weather and any faults (which can also happen in cars and planes) are less survivable in a helicopter. If there's design issues theyve generally been found by now with this model. Mechanical failure may occur very rarely and the consequences horrendous but that doesn't mean there's some huge cover up.

[tizaala]

There are some good people about still.

[doganjo]

I've been told that the pilot apparently cut off the fuel tanks and was aiming for the Clyde but didn't have quite enough height to make it.  Everyone would have survived if he had.  Brave man for trying.

[Rosemary]

I've been told that the pilot apparently cut off the fuel tanks and was aiming for the Clyde but didn't have quite enough height to make it.  Everyone would have survived if he had.  Brave man for trying.

A hero.

Heard on the news that folk were bringing fish suppers to the rescue crews and the pizza shop across the road stayed open all night making pizza for the rescue crews. And taxis have offered free services for victims' families. Magnificent Glasgow 

[Small Farmer]

When something goes wrong on a helicopter the pilot has fewer options than the fixed wing pilot has.  So there are stringent flight rules, particularly over built-up areas for public safety.  However the nature of police and emergency operations means that such helicopters spend a lot of time flying outside their safe envelope.


We will know what happened in due course, but the pilot would have had no good choices to make.



Glaswegians have shown their bravery and compassion as always and should be celebrated in the face of this tragedy.