The helicopter collided with the jib of a crane attached to St George Wharf Tower in Vauxhall
A helicopter pilot who died when he hit a crane in London was responsible for avoiding obstacles and not air traffic control, an inquest has heard.
Peter Barnes, 50, died when the helicopter struck St George Wharf Tower, Vauxhall, in January 2013.
Pedestrian Matthew Wood, 39, from Sutton, was killed and 12 were injured.
An Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) investigator told Southwark Crown Court it was a pilot's responsibility to avoid obstacles.
BBC Local Live has more updates on London stories
Geraint Herbert told the court a pilot had to maintain a 500ft buffer from all obstacles even if details from air traffic controllers restricted a pilot's altitude.
He said: "It's the pilot's responsibility to avoid the obstacles and air traffic control does not absolve him from obeying the rules of the air.
"Not only did he not take the direct route, he descended into a restricted area he was not permitted to be in."
Mr Barnes, from Berkshire, had been flying from Redhill Aerodrome in Surrey to Elstree in Hertfordshire but was diverted to Battersea heliport due to bad weather, the inquest was told.
A pilot with 25 years' experience, he had been due to collect Richard Caring, the owner of the Ivy restaurant franchise, from Elstree to fly him to a shoot with a cousin of the Queen in Whitby, North Yorkshire.
The helicopter crashed on to Wandsworth Road at about 08:30 GMT on 16 January 2013
Mr Caring said they spoke about low-lying cloud and freezing-fog at Redhil and at Elstree and he told Mr Barnes not to take off. Mr Barnes continued the flight but found he was unable to land.
A short time later Mr Caring contacted the pilot to say Battersea heliport was open but did not put "one iota" of pressure on him to divert the flight so he could be picked up from there instead.
"I didn't say, 'Battersea is open, please land there', I just said, 'Battersea is open'. I didn't tell him to land there." he said.
"I don't see how much more you can do than to say to the pilot, 'don't take off'."
Shaun Tinkler-Rose, a friend and fellow pilot who spoke to Mr Barnes hours before the flight, previously told the inquest Mr Barnes had felt under "extreme pressure".
The inquest continues.
