Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Inquiry to be held into death of cameraman on Joanna Lumley TV show

Dan Burton died in a flying accident while filming for the show which was to be presented by the Absolutely Fabulous star.

Sarah Ward
Wednesday 24 January 2024 14:35 EST
The fatal accident inquiry into the death of Dan Burton will be held at Tain Sheriff Court (Alamy/PA)
The fatal accident inquiry into the death of Dan Burton will be held at Tain Sheriff Court (Alamy/PA)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A fatal accident inquiry (FAI) will be held into the death of a cameraman in a mid-air crash during the filming of a Joanna Lumley documentary.

Dan Burton, 54, was killed when his paramotor was in collision with one flown by his colleague, Sacha Dench, over Loch Na Gainmhich, Sutherland.

Ms Dench, who survived but suffered serious injuries, is known as the “human swan” for her adventures in using a paramotor to follow swans migrating from Russia across Europe to the UK.

She was attempting a 3,000-mile round Britain by paramotor challenge to highlight climate change ahead of the Cop26 conference, which was held in Glasgow.

Joanna Lumley was to present a show on the record-breaking attempt.

An FAI will be held because Mr Burton died during the course of his work.

The inquiry will consider any precautions which might have prevented the death, and any shortcomings in working practices.

A preliminary hearing has been set for February 26 at Tain Sheriff Court, Caithness, Highlands.

At the time of the accident, the trustees of Conservation Without Borders, a charity which was founded by Ms Dench, described the pair as “highly experienced paramotorists”.

Ms Dench’s round Britain challenge was put on hold following Mr Burton’s death.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in