Helipad tragedy inquiry finds series of failings

CITY’S NHS TRUST ISSUES APOLOGY AND HIGHLIGHTS CHANGES TO PROCEDURES

- ROD MINCHIN

AN investigation into the death of a pensioner who was blown over by a search and rescue helicopter landing at a hospital in Plymouth has identified a series of failings which exposed members of the public to risk.

Jean Langan suffered fatal head injuries at Derriford Hospital in March 2022, when she was blown over by the downdraft from the aircraft. The 87-year-old had attended a hospital appointment and was walking through a car park close to the helipad when the incident happened.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said it occurred as the Sikorsky helicopter flew in with a casualty from Tintagel, Cornwall. As it landed at the hospital’s helipad, which was in a secure area within one of the site’s public car parks, several members of the public were subjected to high levels of downwash.

Mrs Langan suffered a serious head injury and later died, while a second woman in her 80s was treated for a broken pelvis.