‘Gust of wind’ left five dead in helicopter horror crash
Probe into honeymooners’ Grand Canyon tragedy told:
IT was to be the high point of a special double celebration for the six friends – marking a wedding and a 30th birthday.
But the excitement over the spectacular helicopter flight to the Grand Canyon turned to horror when a ‘violent gust of wind’ spun the aircraft out of control and sent it crashing to the ground.
Becky Dobson, 27, and her boyfriend Stuart Hill, 30 – as well as his older brother Jason, 32 – were all killed as the aircraft burst into flames.
Honeymooners Ellie Milward, 29, and Jonathan Udall, 31, later died from burn injuries, while Jason’s girlfriend Jennifer Dorricott survived the crash but suffered life-changing injuries.
Yesterday a probe into the tragedy revealed how pilot Scott Booth, who also survived but had both his legs amputated, was left helpless when the wind took hold of the helicopter.
Mr Booth had been on his third tour flight of the day from Las Vegas when he attempted to land beside the Colorado River on the floor of the canyon, as he had done 600 times before.
He told investigators the Airbus EC130 B4 was hit by a ‘violent gust of wind’ and began to spin during the manoeuvre just before sunset on February 10, 2018. ‘It just took the aircraft from me,’ he told the US National
‘It just took the aircraft from me’
Transportation Safety Board. ‘It just spun it, and I couldn’t fly it. It just took it so quickly.’
Tailwinds, downdrafts and turbulence were the probable cause of the loss of control, according to the board’s final report, which also found no evidence of mechanical problems.
The group of friends – three couples – had saved up for more than a year to pay for the long weekend in Las Vegas and had told friends and family how excited they were about the helicopter trip. Miss Milward, from West Sussex, and Mr Udall, originally from Southampton, had married weeks before.
Vets’ receptionist Miss Dobson, from Worthing, and her car salesman boyfriend Mr Hill were among the wedding guests.
All six had flown to the US ahead of car salesman Mr Hill’s birthday on the Friday and the next day had gone on the helicopter trip, operated by sightseeing firm Papillon.
Investigators said the remote location of the crash and communication difficulties, including a dead satellite phone, meant the victims were not taken to a hospital until six hours later.
The most significant factor in the deaths was the fire, the report said. It added that the helicopter was ‘not equipped, nor was it required to be equipped, with a crash-resistant fuel system’. It did not include any safety recommendations.
After the crash, Papillon announced it would fit crashresistant tanks to its fleet and upgrade its emergency facilities.
Mr Udall’s parents sued the tour firm and Airbus Helicopters over failing to equip the aircraft with a crash-resistant system in a case that is ongoing.
Their US lawyer welcomed the report yesterday.
Gary C. Robb said: ‘The Udall family from the beginning has wanted to find out what happened so this can prevent other helicopter victims from literally being burned alive.’
Airbus Helicopters has insisted it was increasing the number of aircraft being built with crashresistant fuel systems.