A wildlife documentary producer has told a fatal accident inquiry she felt immediate concern for a cameraman's safety after seeing him film a handheld Facebook Live from the air, shortly before he died in a mid-air paramotor collision.
Details of the Tragic Collision
Dan Burton, 54, from Devon, was killed on 18 September 2021 when his paramotor collided with another flown by environmental activist Sacha Dench, known as the 'human swan'. The pair were working on a documentary about climate change during a 3,000-mile round-Britain paramotor challenge ahead of the Cop26 conference.
The incident occurred near Loch Na Gainmhich in Sutherland. Ms Dench survived the crash but sustained serious injuries. The inquiry into Mr Burton's death is being held at Tain Sheriff Court, with proceedings continuing virtually.
Producer's Testimony on Safety Protocols
Amber Eames, director and producer of the earlier BBC documentary Flight Of The Swans featuring Ms Dench, gave evidence. She stated she was not involved in the 2021 expedition but watched Mr Burton's Facebook Live broadcast on the day of the accident.
Ms Eames described the 53-second clip, shown to the inquiry by fiscal depute Jemma Eadie, as featuring "wobbly" footage of terrain and coastline before swivelling to show the pilot's lap. She confirmed this was the handheld footage that raised her alarm.
"At the time I was concerned because the shot wasn't settling and I could see the person that was filming was airborne," Ms Eames told the hearing. She emphasised that "flying and filming is not something that really happens by one person".
She outlined the strict protocols used on the 2016-17 expedition to mitigate risk, which involved separating flying and filming duties. This included using fixed cameras on paramotors, drones operated by separate pilots, and crew filming from the ground and a light aircraft. The aim was to avoid 'task-loading' – distracting individuals in dangerous roles like pilots with extra responsibilities.
Conflicting Evidence on Filming Practices
Ms Eames revealed she had previously disagreed with Ms Dench about filming with a selfie stick during Flight Of The Swans, though she accepted the activist was "perfectly qualified to say what she was happy to do". She also noted a cameraman had resigned in Russia during that project over safety concerns.
However, under cross-examination, project manager Peter Cranswick offered a different perspective. Representing Ms Dench, Simon Richards questioned Mr Cranswick, who stated filming from the air was an understood part of the expedition's goal to capture content for social media and a documentary.
"I've seen lots of para-motorists film in the air. We knew Dan was a pioneer of filming," Mr Cranswick said. He added that no specific concerns about pilots filming were raised with him by Ms Eames or others during planning, and that the primary safety rule was to not let filming cause a distraction from the main activity.
The fatal accident inquiry continues.
