20-Feb-2012 Source: HeliHub.com
An inquest in Belfast into the fatal crash of an A109A, registered N2NR, heard today that the GPWS (Ground Proximity Warning System) was not switched on.
A lawyer for the inquiry, Ronan Daly, told the inquest in Belfast that the GPWS “was not actually in use (and that) it was not the requirement for a helicopter to operate that it should be using the system and the alerts that the system would (produce) could be regarded as a nuisance to those on board,”.
Charles Stisted, Ian Wooldridge, and pilot Anthony Smith died when the aircraft hit Shanlieve Mountain on 23rd October 2010.  One of the deceased, Mr Stisted, was chief executive of the Guards Polo Club at Windsor and a personal friend of the Prince of Wales. Helicopter owner Ian Wooldridge, also a Guards Polo Club member, had interestes in property developments in both Belfast and Dublin.
Last week Mr Stisted’s widow launched a legal case for damages of £300,000 against the pilot’s widow, “for a catalogue of errors that caused the disaster”. Court papers also show the Stisteds are suing the family and the executors of Mr Wooldridge on the grounds that they were responsible for the negligence of the pilot they employed.
Jeremy Parkin – HeliHub.com
see also
 Photo of the actual aircraft N2NR is credit to and copyright of Les Rickman. Reproduced on HeliHub.com with his permission
