Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Britons in copter smash identified
THREE Britons who died when a helicopter crashed in the Grand Canyon have been named.
US media reported Becky Dobson, 27, Jason Hill, 32, and Stuart Hill, 30, died in Saturday’s incident, while three further Britons were taken to hospital.
Ellie Milward, 29, Jonathan Udall, 32, and Jennifer Barham, 39, were airlifted to University Medical Centre in Las Vegas, Nevada, along with pilot Scott Booth, 42, according to Arizona Central.
The circumstances surrounding the crash — on the West Rim of the Canyon — are currently unknown.
Hualapai Police chief Francis Bradley said: “It’s a very tragic incident.
“We were hampered by severe weather conditions. We had gusts up to 50mph. The terrain where the crash occurred is extremely rugged.”
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: “We are providing support to the families of six British visitors involved in a helicopter accident at the Grand Canyon on February 10, and we are in close contact with the US emergency services.”
Photos of the crash scene taken by eyewitness Teddy Fujimoto showed flames and dark smoke rising from the rocky terrain.
Mr Fujimoto, a Las Vegas photographer, was doing a wedding shoot at the time of the crash when he heard people shouting and saw them running towards the edge of a ravine. He followed them.
“There was a helicopter, flames, smoke,” he said. “It was horrible, unimaginable.”
He said he then heard two or three small explosions where the wreckage was, about 600ft (183m) below from where he was standing.
Papillon Airways says on its website that it is “the world’s largest aerial sightseeing company” and that it provides “the only way to tour the Grand Canyon”.
The company says it flies about 600,000 passengers a year over the Grand Canyon and on other tours.
It also says it “abides by flight safety rules and regulations that substantially exceed the regulations required”.
A Papillon helicopter was previously involved in a fatal Grand Canyon crash in 2001.