Concorde gantry 'unsafe to cross'

An inquest into the death of a man who fell 5m to his death at the Concorde visitor centre in Bristol has been told the gantry was not safe to cross.

Horace Livall, 71, from Bristol, died after falling through a 0.8m gap between steps and the aircraft door.

Martin Rickard from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said the gap was bridged by a piece of wood and was not adequate to be used by the public.

The coroner will sum-up on Monday before the jury reaches its verdict.

Risk assessment

Mr Rickard, a former structural engineer, told the inquest at Kings Weston House that creating a walkway was a two-stage process - the metal steps first and afterwards with the Concorde in place, a second bridge to close any gap.

The court was told no risk assessment had been completed for the gantry and there was confusion about whose responsibility that should have been.

Mr Livall plunged to the ground from the gantry as he was about to take a photograph of his daughter in September 2004.

Mr Livall, a former milkman known to his family as Sam, hit the concrete at Filton Airport and sustained injuries to his brain and chest. He died later in hospital.

Advertisement

No risk assessment was carried out on the walkway