Online report
999 helicopter pilot cleared over death crash Feb 25 2004
A WOMAN has won a High Court battle to clear the name of her husband who died when his air ambulance helicopter smashed into power cables.
Following an inconclusive inquest into the crash, Linda Budden, 51, of Hollow Lane, Dormansland, went to Manchester High Court to prove her husband Graham had played no part in the accident which claimed his life and the lives of two paramedics in July 1998.
Mr Budden was 40 when the Kent Air Ambulance helicopter he was flying made a sudden turn and flew down a valley where it collided with an electricity cable. The helicopter smashed to the ground and exploded, leaving no evidence of the accident's cause.
An investigation by the Air Accident Investigation Board showed the accident was caused either by a mechanical fault or because Mr Budden had been deliberately low flying.
Mrs Budden said: "I took it to court to show that Graham acted in the way he did because there was something wrong. I did it for the children so they could feel proud of their dad."
During the case, no evidence emerged to support the low-flying theory.
Eye witnesses, who saw the helicopter on a regular basis, said it was behaving oddly and making strange sounds.
And expert witnesses said there were several possible aircraft malfunctions that could have caused the pilot to divert.
Describing the moment she learned of her husband's death, Mrs Budden said: "It was such a shock. We were watching the BBC nine o'clock news and we saw the Kent Air Ambulance come up. I was devastated and could not believe it. It was unusual he had not phoned to say he was running late. My children, then aged 13 and 16, were watching the television with me. A minute later the police turned up on the doorstep."
She celebrated last Wednesday's judgement with her children, Gemma, 21, and Kirk, 19, and said: "It has been a difficult six years for us. Not only losing a husband and a father to my two children but also having this element of doubt hanging over us over who was to blame for the accident. I don't know how to describe it. I am really relieved it is over."