Pilot in helicopter crash that killed five tourists had failed previous safety test

Jonathan Udall, 31, and his 29-year-old wife Ellie died along with Rebecca Dobson, 26, her boyfriend Stuart Hill, 29, and his brother Jason Hill, 31, when their helicopter crashed and burst into flames in February 2018.

Newly-wed Jonathan was from Birmingham and his parents lived in Smethwick.

An inquest heard a strong tailwind knocked the Airbus EC130 B4 out of control, causing it to crash.

As it hit the ground hard it exploded with five of the seven people inside suffering fatal burn injuries.

Rebecca, Stuart and Jason died in the subsequent blaze while Jonathan and his new wife Ellie survived but died of their injuries two weeks later at the University Medical Centre in Las Vegas.

A sixth friend, 39-year-old Jennifer Dorricott, survived but suffered life-changing injuries in the crash.

They had all been on a friends holiday of a lifetime and Jonathan and Ellie were also celebrating their recent marriage when the tragedy struck.

Pilot Scott Booth of tour operator Papillon also lived but had to undergo a double leg amputation due to severe injuries.

The inquest at West Sussex Coroner's Court on Thursday heard Mr Booth was fully qualified but had failed an earlier check on his landing abilities.

He failed his first test on his ability to handle a helicopter in gusty wind conditions, manoeuvre and deal with a loss of power.

Mark Jarvis of the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) told the inquest hearing the annual check is designed to test the pilot's ability.

But he said Mr Booth had failed his first test on his ability to handle a helicopter in gusty wind conditions, manoeuvre and deal with a loss of power.

Mr Booth retook the check 'days later' and passed and was fully qualified to fly the flight on February 10, 2018.

Mr Jarvis said the report showed the helicopter was mechanically sound but was not fitted with a crash resistant fuel system.