Date: 5/4/2009 9:42 AM
ERIKA KINETZ
Associated Press Writer
MUMBAI, India (AP) — Two janitors were arrested in the attempted sabotage of the helicopter of an Indian billionaire, a senior police official said Monday, describing the tampering as part of an internal dispute at the company that maintained the aircraft.
The investigation into the sabotage against Anil Ambani, an industrialist embroiled in a bitter and public feud with his brother, took a dark twist last week with the death of the technician who discovered the pebbles and soil in the gear box. Police ruled that death a suicide but the man's family say they suspect foul play.
The mystery has gripped Mumbai, with each new development splashed across newspapers and played in endless loops on local television channels.
Mumbai's Joint Commissioner of Police Rakesh Maria said two employees of Airworks, the company that maintained the chopper, sabotaged the gear box on April 23. Maria told reporters the potentially lethal tampering was not motivated by corporate rivalry, but was part of a dispute between Airworks employees and management dating back to 1995.
"It appears this is a problem between management and the union," Maria said. "This is probably the fifth such incident at the Airworks company," he added.
Uday Warekar, 42, and Palraj Ganpat Tewar, 38, face life in prison for violating the unlawful activities act and the civil aviation act, Maria said. They have not yet been charged.
Ambani is one of India's richest industrialists and has been locked in a battle with his estranged brother for years.
The industrialist's father, Dhirubhai, was one of India's first great capitalists. He launched the family empire trading in spices and textiles before going public in 1977. When he died 25 years later, the conglomerate was one of India's largest private sector groups with interests in petrochemicals, plastics, oil refineries and more.
Dhirubhai's two sons — the staid elder brother Mukesh and younger, flashier Anil — inherited the sprawling conglomerate and promptly began feuding.
Their mother finally intervened, dividing the empire between them, but the high-profile battles continue.
Mukesh, who is worth $19.5 billion, came in at seventh place on Forbes' list of the world's richest people, while Anil, with $10.1 billion, was 34th on the list.
___
Associated Press Writer Aijaz Ansari contributed to this report from Mumbai.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
Summary
Monday, May 4, 2009
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Mexico prosecutors' helicopter crashes, agent dead
Date: 3/31/2009
MEXICO CITY (AP) — A helicopter belonging to the federal attorney general's office has crashed in northern Mexico, killing an agent and injuring two other people aboard.
The office says the helicopter was flying in an area with strong gusts of wind, and the cause of the crash is under investigation.
The crash took place Monday in the northern state of Sonora, about 45 miles (75 kilometers) south of the Arizona border.
The pilot and an employee of the helicopter's base were slightly injured.
The office did not say what mission the craft was performing. Helicopters are frequently used in Mexico's anti-drug efforts.
Mexico has a history of problems in the operation and maintenance of government aircraft.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
MEXICO CITY (AP) — A helicopter belonging to the federal attorney general's office has crashed in northern Mexico, killing an agent and injuring two other people aboard.
The office says the helicopter was flying in an area with strong gusts of wind, and the cause of the crash is under investigation.
The crash took place Monday in the northern state of Sonora, about 45 miles (75 kilometers) south of the Arizona border.
The pilot and an employee of the helicopter's base were slightly injured.
The office did not say what mission the craft was performing. Helicopters are frequently used in Mexico's anti-drug efforts.
Mexico has a history of problems in the operation and maintenance of government aircraft.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Turkish party leader killed in helicopter crash
Date: 3/27/2009
SELCAN HACAOGLU
Associated Press Writer
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — All six people aboard a helicopter that crashed on a Turkish mountaintop have been found dead, the government said Friday, including the leader of a small political party and a passenger whose anguished phone call from the crash site was broadcast around the country.
Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin, citing rescue workers, said the wreckage was found on the third day of a search that had been hampered by snowfall and fog.
The death of Muhsin Yazicioglu, leader of the conservative Great Unity Party, shocked his supporters before Sunday's local elections.
"May his soul rest in peace. I am expressing my condolences to all his family members and the community," Sahin said.
Yazicioglu's helicopter crashed Wednesday in bad weather after leaving an election rally in southern Kahramanmaras province. All political parties suspended pre-election campaigning after the crash.
At least 2,000 soldiers, villagers and other rescue workers had been searching for the helicopter since injured passenger Ismail Gunes phoned an emergency hot line with his cell phone and begged for rescue.
The journalist's call was broadcast nationwide Thursday. A cameraman for Turkish news agency IHA, Gunes had said he was wedged in the wreckage with a badly broken foot and was freezing. He had said some of the other passengers appeared to be dead, and that his cell phone battery was running out.
The military dispatched units to the site to bring down the bodies but nightfall and snowstorms were reportedly hampering the effort.
Hundreds of party supporters, some weeping, gathered outside the party headquarters.
Prosecutors were trying to reach the site on foot to officially identify Yazicioglu and other victims, said Sahin.
Yazicioglu was a leader of the far-right nationalist movement in Turkey since 1970s. His small party was not expected to make a strong showing in the polls.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
SELCAN HACAOGLU
Associated Press Writer
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — All six people aboard a helicopter that crashed on a Turkish mountaintop have been found dead, the government said Friday, including the leader of a small political party and a passenger whose anguished phone call from the crash site was broadcast around the country.
Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin, citing rescue workers, said the wreckage was found on the third day of a search that had been hampered by snowfall and fog.
The death of Muhsin Yazicioglu, leader of the conservative Great Unity Party, shocked his supporters before Sunday's local elections.
"May his soul rest in peace. I am expressing my condolences to all his family members and the community," Sahin said.
Yazicioglu's helicopter crashed Wednesday in bad weather after leaving an election rally in southern Kahramanmaras province. All political parties suspended pre-election campaigning after the crash.
At least 2,000 soldiers, villagers and other rescue workers had been searching for the helicopter since injured passenger Ismail Gunes phoned an emergency hot line with his cell phone and begged for rescue.
The journalist's call was broadcast nationwide Thursday. A cameraman for Turkish news agency IHA, Gunes had said he was wedged in the wreckage with a badly broken foot and was freezing. He had said some of the other passengers appeared to be dead, and that his cell phone battery was running out.
The military dispatched units to the site to bring down the bodies but nightfall and snowstorms were reportedly hampering the effort.
Hundreds of party supporters, some weeping, gathered outside the party headquarters.
Prosecutors were trying to reach the site on foot to officially identify Yazicioglu and other victims, said Sahin.
Yazicioglu was a leader of the far-right nationalist movement in Turkey since 1970s. His small party was not expected to make a strong showing in the polls.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Ill. emergency transport company Air Angels closes
Date: 2/19/2009
BOLINGBROOK, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois emergency transport company involved in a fatal helicopter crash in the fall is going out of business.
Bolingbrook-based Air Angels Inc. says on Thursday it has permanently ended its ground and air ambulance units. The statement says 33 employees have received 60-day notices.
Air Angels CEO Jim Adams says in the statement the decision is based on "recent and ongoing events," without being more specific.
Last month, the parents of a toddler killed in the Oct. 15 crash filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company.
___
On the Net: http://www.airangels.com/
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
www.helicopter-law.com
BOLINGBROOK, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois emergency transport company involved in a fatal helicopter crash in the fall is going out of business.
Bolingbrook-based Air Angels Inc. says on Thursday it has permanently ended its ground and air ambulance units. The statement says 33 employees have received 60-day notices.
Air Angels CEO Jim Adams says in the statement the decision is based on "recent and ongoing events," without being more specific.
Last month, the parents of a toddler killed in the Oct. 15 crash filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company.
___
On the Net: http://www.airangels.com/
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
www.helicopter-law.com
Monday, February 16, 2009
Chile firefighters' helicopter crashes, killing 13
Date: 2/16/2009
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — A helicopter carrying firefighters from a forest fire crashed in southern Chile on Sunday, killing all 13 people on board, authorities said.
The helicopter hit a hillside near Chanco, some 165 miles (270 kilometers) south of Santiago, said Maule province Gov. Maria del Carmen Perez.
Twelve firefighters and a pilot were killed, said Angelica Saez, who runs the county where the crash occurred. The government previously said 14 people had died, including a co-pilot.
The helicopter had just retrieved the firefighters from a day's work battling a blaze, which was still being controlled at the time of the crash.
The firefighters were all young men between the ages of 18 and 25 who worked for Celulosa Arauco y Constitucion, a Chilean timber and pulp company known as CELCO, said Dante Bravo, head of the National Forest Service.
The fire was consuming the property of another timber company, Compania Astilladora de Concepcion, or COMACO, but CELCO had mobilized the men to keep the flames from spreading, Bravo said.
Rescue crews at the crash site reported no survivors, said Daniel Vergara, government secretary in the Maule province. An Air Force prosecutor was on his way to authorize the removal of bodies and to start investigating the cause of the crash, he said.
The helicopter belonged to Flight Service, a Maule-based company, provincial officials said.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
www.helicopter-law.com
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — A helicopter carrying firefighters from a forest fire crashed in southern Chile on Sunday, killing all 13 people on board, authorities said.
The helicopter hit a hillside near Chanco, some 165 miles (270 kilometers) south of Santiago, said Maule province Gov. Maria del Carmen Perez.
Twelve firefighters and a pilot were killed, said Angelica Saez, who runs the county where the crash occurred. The government previously said 14 people had died, including a co-pilot.
The helicopter had just retrieved the firefighters from a day's work battling a blaze, which was still being controlled at the time of the crash.
The firefighters were all young men between the ages of 18 and 25 who worked for Celulosa Arauco y Constitucion, a Chilean timber and pulp company known as CELCO, said Dante Bravo, head of the National Forest Service.
The fire was consuming the property of another timber company, Compania Astilladora de Concepcion, or COMACO, but CELCO had mobilized the men to keep the flames from spreading, Bravo said.
Rescue crews at the crash site reported no survivors, said Daniel Vergara, government secretary in the Maule province. An Air Force prosecutor was on his way to authorize the removal of bodies and to start investigating the cause of the crash, he said.
The helicopter belonged to Flight Service, a Maule-based company, provincial officials said.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
www.helicopter-law.com
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Report: "Loud noise" preceded fatal chopper crash
Date: 2/5/2009
By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
Associated Press Writer
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A voice recorder captured a "loud noise" in the cockpit of a helicopter shortly before it plunged into a Louisiana swamp last month, killing eight people, federal investigators said in a report released Thursday.
The National Transportation Safety Board's report doesn't elaborate on the nature of the noise nor identify a possible cause of the crash Jan. 4 that left a lone survivor critically injured.
The NTSB reported the helicopter began to slow and descend several seconds after a cockpit voice device recorded the loud noise. "About one second after the loud noise, the torque of both engines drops simultaneously to near zero," the report added.
The Sikorsky S-76C's flight data recorder showed the chopper had been flying about 700 feet above the ground when the noise occurred, according to the NTSB.
The helicopter was carrying workers to a Shell Oil Co. platform in the Gulf of Mexico when it crashed about 100 miles southwest of New Orleans.
The NTSB said investigators haven't found any evidence of engine failure, a bird strike, "fuel starvation" or a mid-air collision. They also said the engine apparently had power at the time of impact.
"No anomalies (in the engines) were noted that would have prevented normal operation," the report said.
NTSB spokesman Ted Lopatkiewicz said it may be months before a transcript of the recording is released.
A lawsuit filed last month on behalf of Ann Ballenger, the wife of a pilot who died, blames the accident on the "defective condition" of the chopper.
Greg Allen, a lawyer for Ballenger, said the noise reported by investigators points to "some form of catastrophic failure" before the crash, even if the engines didn't fail. He said "other components" that could have caused the noise and the crash still haven't been ruled out.
A Sikorsky spokesman has said the company wouldn't comment on pending litigation.
PHI Inc. owned the helicopter. Two of the company's pilots were killed in the crash: Thomas Ballenger of Eufaula, Ala., and Vyarl W. Martin of Hurst, Texas.
PHI identified the other victims as Andrew Moricio and Ezequiel Cantu of Morgan City, La.; Randy Tarpley of Jonesville, La.; Charles W. Nelson of Pensacola, Fla.; Allen Boudreaux, Jr. of Ama, La.; and Jorey A. Rivero of Bridge City, La.
The survivor was identified as Steven Yeltin of Floresville, Texas.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press
By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
Associated Press Writer
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A voice recorder captured a "loud noise" in the cockpit of a helicopter shortly before it plunged into a Louisiana swamp last month, killing eight people, federal investigators said in a report released Thursday.
The National Transportation Safety Board's report doesn't elaborate on the nature of the noise nor identify a possible cause of the crash Jan. 4 that left a lone survivor critically injured.
The NTSB reported the helicopter began to slow and descend several seconds after a cockpit voice device recorded the loud noise. "About one second after the loud noise, the torque of both engines drops simultaneously to near zero," the report added.
The Sikorsky S-76C's flight data recorder showed the chopper had been flying about 700 feet above the ground when the noise occurred, according to the NTSB.
The helicopter was carrying workers to a Shell Oil Co. platform in the Gulf of Mexico when it crashed about 100 miles southwest of New Orleans.
The NTSB said investigators haven't found any evidence of engine failure, a bird strike, "fuel starvation" or a mid-air collision. They also said the engine apparently had power at the time of impact.
"No anomalies (in the engines) were noted that would have prevented normal operation," the report said.
NTSB spokesman Ted Lopatkiewicz said it may be months before a transcript of the recording is released.
A lawsuit filed last month on behalf of Ann Ballenger, the wife of a pilot who died, blames the accident on the "defective condition" of the chopper.
Greg Allen, a lawyer for Ballenger, said the noise reported by investigators points to "some form of catastrophic failure" before the crash, even if the engines didn't fail. He said "other components" that could have caused the noise and the crash still haven't been ruled out.
A Sikorsky spokesman has said the company wouldn't comment on pending litigation.
PHI Inc. owned the helicopter. Two of the company's pilots were killed in the crash: Thomas Ballenger of Eufaula, Ala., and Vyarl W. Martin of Hurst, Texas.
PHI identified the other victims as Andrew Moricio and Ezequiel Cantu of Morgan City, La.; Randy Tarpley of Jonesville, La.; Charles W. Nelson of Pensacola, Fla.; Allen Boudreaux, Jr. of Ama, La.; and Jorey A. Rivero of Bridge City, La.
The survivor was identified as Steven Yeltin of Floresville, Texas.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Victim's wife sues over fatal La. helicopter crash
Date: 1/8/2009
By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
Associated Press Writer
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The estranged wife of a worker who died along with seven others in a helicopter crash in southern Louisiana is suing the company that operated the chopper, but the cause of the crash remained under investigation Thursday.
The wrongful death suit filed Wednesday in a Terrebonne Parish state court on behalf of Britain Boudreaux accuses Lafayette-based PHI Inc. of negligence.
Boudreaux's husband, Allen Boudreaux, Jr., 23, was one of eight men killed Sunday when a PHI helicopter plunged into a marsh while en route to a Shell Oil Co. platform in the Gulf of Mexico. A lone survivor — Steve Yelton, of Floresville, Texas — was being treated at a New Orleans area hospital.
Allen Boudreaux was a welder employed by Dynamic Industries Inc. William Dodd, a lawyer for Britain Boudreaux, said the couple had been separated for several months at the time of the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash. Investigators were examining various parts of the wreckage, which has been moved to Lafayette, NTSB spokesman Ted Lopatkiewicz said Thursday. The Sikorsky S-76C helicopter's voice recorders have been sent to Washington for analysis, he said.
Dodd said the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, would help plaintiffs' lawyers gather more information about the crash.
"All reports and information I have, the weather was not a factor," Dodd said. "It's got to be something mechanical or it's got to be pilot error."
The NTSB has said the crew did not report any problems before the helicopter crashed, about seven minutes after taking off, in a rural area about 100 miles southwest of New Orleans.
A PHI spokesman didn't immediately return a call for comment Thursday.
PHI identified the other victims as Andrew Moricio and Ezequiel Cantu of Morgan City, La.; Randy Tarpley of Jonesville, La.; Jorey A. Rivero, of Bridge City, La.; Charles W. Nelson of Pensacola, Fla.; Thomas E. Ballenger of Eufaula, Ala. and Vyarl W. Martin of Hurst, Texas.
Ballenger and Martin were PHI pilots. Moricio, Cantu and Tarpley also worked for New Iberia-based Dynamic Industries, which manufactures oil rigs and parts for oil refineries. The other passengers worked for MMR Offshore Services, Inc., part of Baton Rouge-based MMR Group Inc.
___
Associated Press writer Alan Sayre in New Orleans contributed to this report.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
helicopter-law.com
By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
Associated Press Writer
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The estranged wife of a worker who died along with seven others in a helicopter crash in southern Louisiana is suing the company that operated the chopper, but the cause of the crash remained under investigation Thursday.
The wrongful death suit filed Wednesday in a Terrebonne Parish state court on behalf of Britain Boudreaux accuses Lafayette-based PHI Inc. of negligence.
Boudreaux's husband, Allen Boudreaux, Jr., 23, was one of eight men killed Sunday when a PHI helicopter plunged into a marsh while en route to a Shell Oil Co. platform in the Gulf of Mexico. A lone survivor — Steve Yelton, of Floresville, Texas — was being treated at a New Orleans area hospital.
Allen Boudreaux was a welder employed by Dynamic Industries Inc. William Dodd, a lawyer for Britain Boudreaux, said the couple had been separated for several months at the time of the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash. Investigators were examining various parts of the wreckage, which has been moved to Lafayette, NTSB spokesman Ted Lopatkiewicz said Thursday. The Sikorsky S-76C helicopter's voice recorders have been sent to Washington for analysis, he said.
Dodd said the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, would help plaintiffs' lawyers gather more information about the crash.
"All reports and information I have, the weather was not a factor," Dodd said. "It's got to be something mechanical or it's got to be pilot error."
The NTSB has said the crew did not report any problems before the helicopter crashed, about seven minutes after taking off, in a rural area about 100 miles southwest of New Orleans.
A PHI spokesman didn't immediately return a call for comment Thursday.
PHI identified the other victims as Andrew Moricio and Ezequiel Cantu of Morgan City, La.; Randy Tarpley of Jonesville, La.; Jorey A. Rivero, of Bridge City, La.; Charles W. Nelson of Pensacola, Fla.; Thomas E. Ballenger of Eufaula, Ala. and Vyarl W. Martin of Hurst, Texas.
Ballenger and Martin were PHI pilots. Moricio, Cantu and Tarpley also worked for New Iberia-based Dynamic Industries, which manufactures oil rigs and parts for oil refineries. The other passengers worked for MMR Offshore Services, Inc., part of Baton Rouge-based MMR Group Inc.
___
Associated Press writer Alan Sayre in New Orleans contributed to this report.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
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