Fatal helicopter crash accidental

The helicopter crashed as it attempted to fly out of low cloud

A helicopter crash in Cumbria which killed four people in poor weather was accidental, an inquest jury has ruled.

Bad weather led to the aircraft hitting hills near Kendal shortly after take-off on 3 August last year.

Peter Patrick, his son Anderson Patrick, Tim Newburn and Gary Priestley all died of multiple injuries.

The hearing in Kendal heard the craft was not equipped to fly in cloud and the pilots were not experienced enough to handle such poor weather.

Multiple injuries

The Robinson R44 helicopter was circling near Junction 36 of the M6 seconds before impact as it attempted to fly out of low-lying cloud.

Anderson Patrick, 37, of Askwith, West Yorkshire, and Mr Newburn, 39, of Brighouse, West Yorkshire, were piloting the helicopter.

Peter Patrick, 68, from Arkholme, near Carnforth, Lancashire, and Mr Priestley, 39, of Hipperholme, Halifax, West Yorkshire, suffered multiple injuries and died along with the pilots.

Air accident investigator Tony Severs told the hearing the aircraft was flying at a "totally inappropriate" speed of about 120mph shortly before the crash.

In directing the jury to return accidental death verdicts, South Cumbria Coroner Ian Smith said: "The truth in my view is that the pilots were flying beyond their capabilities because of the weather conditions."