A wrongful death trial is now underway in Anchorage Superior Court stemming from one of the deadliest heli-skiing accidents in North American history: the March 27, 2021 Alaska helicopter crash near the Knik Glacier. The trial is now in its second week in Anchorage Superior Court, with dueling testimony focused on a single question at the heart of the case: did operators fail to launch an emergency response quickly enough after a helicopter went down near the Knik Glacier— and did that failure cost lives?
The crash killed five of six people onboard, including Czech billionaire Petr Kellner, 56, who was among the wealthiest people in Central Europe. The lawsuit, filed by the representative of Kellner’s estate on behalf of his family, alleges Kellner survived the initial impact but died before rescuers arrived because operators failed to promptly recognize the helicopter was down and initiate an emergency response.
The Airbus AS350B3 operated by Wasilla-based Soloy Helicopters crashed near the Knik Glacier, Alaska during a heli-skiing trip booked by Tordrillo Mountain Lodge. The helicopter carried pilot Zachary Russell, 33, guides Sean McManamy, 38, of Girdwood, and Gregory Harms, 52, of Colorado, clients Kellner and Benjamin Larochaix, 50, of the Czech Republic, and snowboarder David Horváth.
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The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded in its final report that the crash was caused by pilot error during a whiteout encounter. Federal investigators determined Russell failed to adequately respond after losing visual reference in blowing snow while attempting to land on a ridgeline. The helicopter struck an outcrop near the top of a ridge and rolled approximately 900 feet downhill…