Wait for the official report?? People, please. It's not like this is Pam Ann/KLM collision at Tenerife or one of the two U.S. space shuttle explosions. A guy stuck a rotor into an obstacle and the ship ended up on its side. As SASless would agree, we're not exactly plowing new ground here in terms of the way this one went down, pun intended.
There is no doubt that communication between the pilot and his passengers was questionable. They were supposed to go on to Dublin, but the pilot reportedly didn't know that...they had permission to land in the parking lot, but he landed on the beach instead...
Okay, I think we can all - or at least, any of us who've flown Corporate - figure out what happened:
Pilot had probably never been to this Bettystown site before. Owner probably told him in advance, "Plenty o' room! Oh, you could land three '76's in our parking lot!" Pilot gets there and while circling overhead says, "Uhhh, I'm just gonna land on that nice, big beach there instead, mate." And does just that. Owner gets out, gets sand all over his expensive shoes, then leans in and says to the pilot (words to the effect of), "Put the g*$^*#m helicopter in the parking lot by the time I get back!!!" Pilot, not wanting to lose his cushy S-76 job, takes a deep breath and figures, "Well, I'll give it a go. I'm good, I can do this..."
The rest is history.
A lot of us have been there. I know I have.
Now. Whether or not the pilot was properly rated/certificated/licensed to fly an S-76 as a commercial pilot will be easy enough to sort out. No rumor-mongering needed, not even on a Profession Pilot Rumor Network website. He was or he wasn't. If he wasn't, it's not the end of the world. He'll just have to deal with the consequences. And let's not even entertain the fantasy that he was really a "sales manager" (wink-wink) or some such for the company and was given an S-76 with with to visit clients. He was the driver...the paid driver, let's be honest.
The very sad part is that this pilot's career in the U.K. is probably done. Anywhere he goes, hat and CV in hand, a prospective employer is going to go,
"You flew a '76 for Seamus Belton, eh? Hmm, Seamus Belton...Seamus Belton...that name rings a... Oh yeah! I saw that on YouTube! Thanks for stopping by though."