Date set for inquest into death of Honister Slate Mine owner Mark Weir (From The Westmorland Gazette)
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Date set for inquest into death of Honister Slate Mine owner Mark Weir
3:16pm Thursday 14th March 2013 in News
Date set for inquest into death of Honister Slate Mine owner Mark Weir
AN inquest into the death of the late Honister Slate Mine owner Mark Weir is due to be held later this month.
Mr Weir, who was 45, died in March 2011 when his helicopter crashed metres from the mine he had built up into a popular tourist attraction in the Borrowdale Valley.
Tributes to the pioneering businessman, who lived at Mosser, near Cockermouth, quickly poured in with Countryfile presenter and friend Julia Bradbury describing him as ‘irreplaceable’.
Mr Weir frequently used his helicopter to commute between his home and various locations in the Lake District.
The findings of the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) are expected to be detailed at the hearing.
Its report into the crash, released in October, found Mr Weir had the skill level of a British military pilot but was not qualified to fly at night.
It also highlighted irregularities in the helicopter’s maintenance and airworthiness but stated none of these could be directly linked to the cause of the accident.
Coroner service officials told The Westmorland Gazette that the inquest would start at 10am on March 25 at Cleator Moor Civic Hall.
Comments(5)
Lakeuk
says...
6:42pm Fri 15 Mar 13
For the recent high profile inquest in Kendal one of the experts came from America, on the first day the media reported what would happen over the 3 weeks and that's how it panned out - wouldn't of happened without lots of planning
blade stall
says...
11:03pm Sat 16 Mar 13
Aside from that i have no idea what an inquest will resolve other than bring back painful memories. The guy was a brave entrepreneur harrassed to his death by authorities with no idea about living in the real world... why not leave it at that and instead spend the money on a local school??
Milkbutnosugarplease
says...
5:43pm Sun 17 Mar 13
life cycle too
says...
10:12am Mon 18 Mar 13
There are issues with helicopters, as over recent years, a number of pilots have died, and subsequently found to have not followed the rules governing their use e.g. Colin McRae.
It is important to establish that if there is a common CAUSE of such accidents, that measures are put in place to prevent a recurrence that might save another individual... and this is the task of the inquest.
lakesailor says...
12:44pm Fri 15 Mar 13