[9] The helicopter took off from its base at Glasgow City Heliport (which at the time operated from Stobcross Quay adjacent to the SECC) at 20:45 on 29 November 2013.

[10] The flight, callsign SP99, was initially involved in the search for a suspected trespasser on railway lines around Eglinton Toll.

[10] A few minutes before the crash, the pilot had received air traffic control clearance to return to Glasgow City Heliport.

[14] A ska band, Esperanza, was playing in the pub at the time of the crash and there were reported to be around 120 people in the building, some of whom were trapped by the collapsing roof.

[15] One witness, Gordon Smart, editor of the Scottish Sun, stated that he did not see a fireball or hear an explosion, and that the engine seemed to be misfiring.

The walls were therefore much thicker than would be expected for a building of this height, and the complex construction of the roof complicated the search and rescue operation.

Urban search and rescue firefighters were also in attendance to shore up unstable parts of the building and to excavate collapsed areas.

[32][needs update] A weekend of fundraising events for the families of the victims and the emergency services was held on 3–5 January 2014.

[10][35] The American National Transportation Safety Board (representing the state of the manufacturer of the engines' FADEC controls), also provided assistance.

[38] The aircraft struck the building with "a high rate of descent and low/negligible forward speed"[10] and no part of it detached in flight.

The AAIB also identified as contributory factor that the radar altimeter and the steerable landing light were both unpowered following the engine flame-out, leading to a loss of height information and reduced visual cues during the autorotation manoeuvre.

[16] The inquiry began on 8 April 2019 in a temporary court at Hampden Park football ground, and concluded on 5 August.

[16] The Clutha pub partially reopened in July 2015, with Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon attending the opening ceremony.

[16] One of the survivors from the bar, Michael Byrne, was interviewed by Jane Garvey for "We Said We’d Never Talk About It Again", a November 2021 episode of her BBC Radio 4 series Life Changing.