The pilot of the helicopter had thousands of hours of flying experience including for films such as Die Another Day and Saving Private Ryan.
At the time of his death was working as a freelance pilot for RotorMotion, a company which counts among its clients the Prince of Wales, Prime Minister David Cameron, former PM Tony Blair and the Dalai Lama.
Miraculously the worker who was meant to be operating the wrecked crane was saved because he was late for work " for the first time in years".
Smoke billowed over the River Thames at the scene, which is close to the MI6 building and the new American embassy which is under construction.
Reports say MI6 HQ's went into 'lock down' after the crash amid fears it was at risk.
Part of the damaged crane hurtled to the ground, smashing into a neighbouring building.
Wreckage ... remnants of crashed helicopter on Wandsworth Road
Disaster ... emergency services at scene of helicopter crash
Firefighters rescued a man from a burning car and brought a blaze caused by the crash under control.
Twelve people were injured including one who is critically ill following the smash which happened as fog covered the Vauxhall area.
Before the crash the pilot had requested to divert and land at London Heliport at Battersea due to bad weather, a spokesman for the owners of the heliport said today.
The lucky crane operator is believed to have been running up to an hour late with most of the construction site’s workers normally arriving by 7am, according to eyewitnesses.
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