‘Death risk’ warning over helicopter hours before Grand Canyon disaster
THE helicopter firm at the centre of the Grand Canyon disaster was warned about ‘malfunctioning’ aircraft a day before the fatal crash, it can be revealed.
A couple on their wedding anniversary claimed their sightseeing flight with tour firm Papillon broke down after landing. They used TripAdvisor on Friday to warn others not to use the company, saying: ‘Don’t risk your life.’
A day later, three British holidaymakers were killed and three others injured when their Eurocopter EC130 operated by the same company plummeted into a ravine. In the TripAdvisor complaint, a tourist from Seattle said: ‘It was scary and frustrating at the same time … Don’t risk your life. Strongly recommend everyone to avoid using Papil-
‘They were all in a very bad way’
lon.’ The firm says its safety rules ‘substantially exceed’ aviation regulations.
Transport safety chiefs have launched an investigation. Yesterday a rescuer told how she hiked down through rocks to help the survivors as poor weather delayed an emergency airlift by eight hours. Katie Kineally, 60-year-old nurse from Wisconsin, said they faced an agonising wait in the dark with dwindling supplies of painkillers.
Briton Conrad Fish, 19, spent seven hours helping to carry emergency supplies to the survivors. The student, from South Cadbury, Somerset, said: ‘They were all in a very bad way.’
Brothers Jason and Stuart Hill and Stuart’s girlfriend Becky Dobson, 27, – all from Worthing, West Sussex – were killed in the accident. The siblings’ parents, David and Sandra Hill, yesterday described them as ‘remarkable people’. Newlyweds Jon Udall, 32, and 29-yearold Ellie Milward suffered serious injuries in the crash and now face ‘a long hard road to recovery’, their family said.
The pair are in a critical condition in hospital in Las Vegas along with Jason Hill’s girlfriend Jennifer Barham, 39, a lawyer from Guildford, Surrey, and helicopter pilot Scott Booth, 42.