23-Jun-2013Source: HeliHub.com
Film footage shot from a helicopter is central to a new court case raised by Angela Rodriguez in Arizona – naming News Corp., Fox Entertainment Group and Fox News Network, in her submission to Maricopa County Court. Fox News Channel inadvertently broadcast live the suicide of Jo Don Romero, 33, who killed himself after an... Read more
18-Jun-2013Source: US Dept of Labor
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Carson Helicopters Inc. for eight alleged serious violations, including exposing workers to hazards involving hexavalent chromium, at the company’s facility in Perkasie. OSHA proposed penalties totaling $40,500 after a December 2012 inspection of the facility was launched because of a complaint. The serious... Read more
22-May-2013Source: Bozeman Daily Chronicle
An appeals court has denied a temporary injunction to halt helicopter use in bison hazing operations. (See Full Story)... Read more
10-Apr-2013Source: IOL NEWS
Argentine passenger in R44 accident sues the pilot – her boyfriend’s father (see full story).... Read more
21-Mar-2013Source: Eurasianet
Just a week after proudly announcing the expansion of the Kazakh-European joint venture producing military helicopters, it seems that relations between Kazakhstan’s government and its European partner, defense giant Eurocopter, may be getting rocky (see full story).... Read more
18-Feb-2013Source: HeliHub.com
The Indian military have commenced legal proceedings which they hope will lead to the cancellation of their order for twelve VVIP AW101 helicopters. Through the formality of issuing a “show cause notice”, AgustaWestland now have to respond to the court within seven days on specific points to determine whether the contract remains valid or not. ... Read more
18-Feb-2013
“Haschke [the middleman] sold AgustaWestland a story based on my relationship with (cousin) SP Tyagi. We have strained ties. He (Haschke) used my name to siphon off money. The CBI probe will bring out the truth. I welcome the CBI probe,” said the former Indian Air Force chief. (see full story) A new angle has... Read more
12-Feb-2013Source: Myrtle Beach Online
The ongoing legal battle that could put a new helicopter tour company out of business in the Myrtle Beach area heads back to court this week. (see full story)... Read more
5-Feb-2013Source: Wildfire Today
Two former employees of Carson Helicopters are facing 20+ years in prison for charges related to a 2008 S61 crash that killed seven firefighters and two crew members (see full story)... Read more
4-Feb-2013Source: Yorkshire Post
A British helicopter instructor has been sentenced to six months jail for falsely signing off the training records of a student pilot to get him a pilot’s licence. The Judge said that it was impossible to say whether these actions were contributory to the “newly qualified” pilot and his wife losing their lives in their... Read more
3-Feb-2013Source: Topeka Capital-Journal
Kansas Supreme Court upholds the decision of a lower court to invalidate a 2008 contract for Topeka Police to buy an R44 after the down payment of $74,000 had been paid. (see full story here – and the documentation from the court here)... Read more
1-Feb-2013Source: Law360
A Texas federal judge on Wednesday shot down Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.’s bid to block an aircraft repair company from selling a fuselage repair fixture (see story)... Read more
27-Jan-2013Source: San Francisco Chronicle
A Sikes man has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for shooting at a Louisiana Army National Guard helicopter during a drug surveillance operation. (see full story)... Read more
27-Jan-2013Source: AfriForum
An urgent interim court order was awarded to AfriForum late this afternoon by the North Gauteng High Court to prevent delivery of Alouette III Air Force helicopters by the South African National Defence Force to the Zimbabwean army. The interim order shall stand pending the finalisation of the main application by 19 February 2013. AfriForum... Read more
22-Jan-2013Source: HeliHub.com
At least 40 employees of the 061 – the Spanish public health emergency organisation – staged a protest in Granada last week at the opening of four disciplinary cases. Two EMS workers, a doctor and a health and safety representative are central to the situation which concerns “safety deficiencies” in the operation of the helicopter... Read more
15-Jan-2013
Negligence claims over a helicopter crash that claimed the lives of two Britons should remain in the US, a judge has ruled. (see full story) We also found this document online relating to this case File photo... Read more
29-Nov-2012Source: West Virginia Record
A former employee is suing Air Methods Corporation after he claims his employment was wrongfully terminated because he reported safety violations. (see full story)... Read more
25-Nov-2012Source: News Register
A San Diego man who worked for Evergreen Helicopters in Afghanistan is suing the company alleging it committed safety violations that endangered employees and the fired him when he raised the issue. (see full story)... Read more
25-Nov-2012
Azur Helicopter and its Chairman were found guilty on 10th October of “manslaughter by breach of an obligation of safety or prudence.”. This week they have been given a fine of €80,000 (see full story). The accident is in the HeliHub.com accident database at 20-Jun-09 F-GTRF Eurocopter AS350B2 Mount Cordon, France (7F)... Read more
19-Nov-2012Source: National Park Service
The National Park Service released a statement this morning regarding the Oct. 3 helicopter crash in North Cascades National Park:- On October 4th, rangers received a report that a leased Robinson 22 helicopter had crashed the day before in a remote area of the park about six miles south of the international border with Canada.... Read more
19-Nov-2012Source: YES Communications
On Friday, November 16, 2012, an El Paso, Texas jury found a defective flight control component caused the fatal crash of a U.S. Custom and Border Protection (CBP) Eurocopter AS350B3 helicopter on May 22, 2007. The crash killed the pilot and critically injured the other crewmember. The two-week trial centered on claims by the pilot’s... Read more
13-Nov-2012Source: Hamilton Spectator
A former employee of ORNGE is suing Ontario’s scandal-plagued air ambulance service, saying she was fired for helping to expose alleged wrongdoing. (see full story)... Read more
9-Nov-2012Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement
One of the Canadian masterminds behind a massive northern border drug smuggling operation was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison Wednesday for conspiracy to import marijuana. Henry Rosenau, 61, of Armstrong, British Columbia, was indicted in 2006 following a cross-border investigation dubbed “Operation Frozen Timber” led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland... Read more
9-Nov-2012Source: KOAA
Colorado Parks and Wildlife has cited a medical helicopter pilot from Arizona for harassing wildlife after a group of hunters observed him flying his ship very low over an elk herd in a canyon southwest of Grand Junction. (see full story) Classic Lifeguard fly four Bell 407s and four fixed-wings ... Read more
7-Nov-2012Source: Irish Independent
A child who suffered nervous shock when a helicopter crashed and exploded in a car park has been awarded €10,000 damages (see full story)... Read more
5-Nov-2012Source: MIchigan Live
The complaint says the pilot operated the chopper “in a reckless and negligent fashion” etc (see full story)... Read more
2-Nov-2012Source: Kenya Broadcasting
Kenya Police are considering taking Eurocopter to court. The basis is apparently that the manufacturer supplied a newer AS350B3e model and not the older AS350B3 that the police contracted for. (see full story) see also 10-Jun-12 5Y-CDT Eurocopter AS350B3e Ngong Hills, Kenya (6F)... Read more
16-Oct-2012
Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company announced in the case of Eurocopter vs. Bell Helicopter, a three Judge panel of France’s Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris recently ruled that the Bell 429 production skid gear does not infringe Eurocopter’s French landing skid gear patent. All Bell 429s have been and will continue to be... Read more
13-Oct-2012Source: Press-Enterprise
A federal appeals court will re-hear the case against a Key Bank that gave out $70,000 loans to students of Silver State Helicopters. Other banks, including Citibank, have forgiven its student loans (see full story)... Read more
12-Oct-2012Source: KABC
A 20-year-old man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for firing a gun at a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter while it was in flight. He was 18 at the time of the incident (see full story) File Photo... Read more
11-Oct-2012Source: NewsLeader
A fixed-wing flight instructor and his student were flying in the wrong traffic pattern before being hit by a PHI Air Medical EC135 near Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport. The certificated commercial pilot and passenger on board the airplane were fatally injured. The families of the two victims have filed a $120 million lawsuit against PHI... Read more
7-Oct-2012
Paul Burnham, 31, of Methlick, Aberdeenshire, and Richard Menzies, 24, of Worcestershire, were at the controls of the Bond Offshore Super Puma when the aircraft plunged into the sea in April 2009. (see full story) See also this page from our safety data coverage – 01-Apr-09 G-REDL Eurocopter AS332 11m E of Peterhead, UK (16F)... Read more
26-Sep-2012Source: Otago Daily Times
A Wanaka helicopter company, its pilot and its sole director were fined over NZ $27,000 after admitting charges brought by the NZ CAA, the Department of Conservation and the Ministry for Primary Industries. (see full story)... Read more
26-Sep-2012Source: Corvallis Gazette-Times
Court records made public Tuesday show that a new search of an Oregon defense contractor accused of providing phony helicopter and truck parts to the military was prompted by testimony from a purchasing agent who is helping investigators. (see full story)... Read more
21-Sep-2012Source: Columbus Dispatch
Purchaser awarded C$380,000 in damages against City of Columbus over faults in a helicopter they sold in 2009. (see full story) HeliHub.com research suggests (but NOT confirmed) that the aircraft was serial 0540E, sold ex FAA registration N553CR to Canada in 2009 and first registered to Versatile Helicopters as C-FZHS. It has since been sold... Read more
20-Sep-2012Source: Hereford Times
After two days of evidence, Judge Patrick Thomas overturned the convictions against Alan Ramsden and Tiger Helicopters. He said there was “absolutely no evidence†that Ramsden had made false entries. (see full story)... Read more
17-Sep-2012Source: Owen, Patterson & Owen
Robinson Helicopter is the lone defendant in a trial which began in Brisbane, Australia on Thursday, September 13th (Supreme Court of Queensland, Number S 4573/07). The trial is expected to last 14 days. The justice presiding over the trial has ordered that the case be bifurcated. If successful on liability, the damage phase will begin sometime... Read more
14-Sep-2012Source: Law360
The Federal Circuit has recently allowed Textron Innovations Inc. to pursue its patent suit against Eurocopter over the design of the Bell 429’s skids, overturning a lower court ruling it said misinterpreted the application outlined by the patent. (see full story) See also the HeliHub.com story filed 31-Jan-12 Bell and Eurocopter decide to behave like... Read more
14-Sep-2012Source: The Republic
A Maui pilot must make amends for illegally flying axis deer to the Big Island by providing a group trying to eradicate the invasive species there with 500 hours of helicopter flight time (see full story)... Read more
1-Aug-2012Source: Toronto Star
AgustaWestland is seeking the return of $1.8M from the controversial marketing services agreement between them and Ontario EMS operator ORNGE – the detail of which is already under investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police. (see full story)... Read more
1-Aug-2012Source: GamePolitics.com
A federal judge has denied a motion by Electronic Arts to dismiss counter-claims in a trademark lawsuit filed by Textron Innovations and Bell Helicopter Textron related to helicopters depicted in its popular Battlefield games. (see full story)... Read more
20-Jul-2012Source: Bristow Group
Bristow Group Inc. (NYSE: BRS), the leading provider of helicopter services to the offshore energy industry, today announced that Edward Chipman (“Chip”) Earle will join the Company as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary effective July 30, 2012. Chip comes to the Company with more than ten years of legal experience; six in the energy industry. Before... Read more
26-Jun-2012Source: HeliHub.com
Randall A Stafford, the Senior Vice President and General Counsel & Corporate Secretary of Bristow Group is to leave the company’s employ on 30th June. In an agreement signed with the company, and duly filed with the SEC, on 26th, Mr Stafford will get a severance payment of $1.368 million. Mr Stafford is also contracting... Read more
7-Jun-2012Source: Rappler
Charges were filed on Wednesday 6th against Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo, former National Police chief Jesus Verzosa, a businessman, and 19 retired and active police officers over the sale of second-hand R44s to the Philippine National Police. (see full story) see earlier HeliHub.com story – Controversy surrounds R44 acquisition by Philippine National Police... Read more
24-May-2012Source: ABC
Darwin Magistrates Court has heard 41-year-old Mark Sullivan strapped a power generator filled with fuel into an empty passenger seat of the helicopter and failed to comply with a number of procedures outlined in an operations manual. (see full story)... Read more
15-May-2012Source: HeliHub.com
Iain King, of Wetherby, appeared at York Crown Court on Monday where he denied making false representations to procure a private pilot’s licence for Mr Spencer, who was flying the helicopter. (see press story). This relates to the accident of Gazelle YU-HEW on 26 January 2008 which resulted in the fatal injuries of the pilot... Read more
7-May-2012Source: InterNEWS
A worldwide specialist aviation service for law firms that will facilitate immediate access to aviation experts was launched in Queenstown, New Zealand last month. Aviation legal professionals from around the globe are meeting in Queenstown for the 31st Annual Aviation Law Association of Australia and New Zealand (ALAANZ) conference which coincides with the launch of... Read more
16-Apr-2012Source: US Dept of Justice
The Justice Department has announced that it has resolved a lawsuit alleging that Air Methods Corp. and LifeMed Alaska, LLC willfully violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) by discriminating against and failing to reemploy Chief Warrant Officer Third Class Jonathon L. Goodwin of Wasilla, Alaska.   The suit was filed in... Read more
11-Apr-2012Source: HeliHub.com
The estate of a Michigan man killed in an R44 accident last September have filed a lawsuit claiming negligence contributed to the accident. Relatives of passenger Mark May initiated the claim, accusing the estate of the late pilot Dan Logghe of negligence, and that company Logghe Stamping Co – founded by Logghe’s grandfather Morris Logghe... Read more
9-Apr-2012Source: Eurocopter
Jean-Pascal Méo is appointed Eurocopter Group’s General Counsel as of 2nd April 2012. He will replace Georges Richelme, who has been elected as President of the Commercial Court of Marseilles. At Eurocopter he will now oversee the institutional relations of the Group. Having joined Eurocopter in January 1998, following roles as legal advisor in a... Read more
8-Mar-2012Source: US Coast Guard
The 17th Coast Guard District commander, Rear Adm. Thomas P. Ostebo, dismissed criminal charges without prejudice against Lt. Lance Leone Tuesday, stemming from his role as co-pilot of Coast Guard helicopter CG-6017, which crashed on July 7, 2010. Leone, the sole survivor of the crash, was charged Sept. 30, 2011, with violating three punitive articles... Read more
7-Mar-2012Source: WAFB
A lawsuit filed Monday claims a pattern of retaliation and safety issues within the Louisiana State Police Department. A State Police pilot claims his supervisors ordered him to fly a helicopter after it was grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration, and that the Commander of all State Police took no disciplinary action. (see full story). ... Read more
4-Mar-2012Source: Yakima Herald
A confidential settlement has been reached in the case of a helicopter crash in Kittitas County that killed four people and ignited a 485-acre forest fire. The settlement comes just days before jury selection in the lawsuit had been scheduled to start Monday in a King County Superior Court. (see full story)Â File photo... Read more
![Dawson[Lee] v Robinson Helicopter Co crash trial begins March 5](https://helihub-wp.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/r44-white3-300x300.jpg "Dawson[Lee] v Robinson Helicopter Co crash trial begins March 5")
27-Feb-2012Source: Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman
The trial of Dawson [Lee] v. Robinson Helicopter Company begins March 5, 2012 in Seattle, Washington over the death of Si Young Lee arising from the August 2, 2007 Robinson R44 II helicopter crash near Easton, Washington. According to court documents the helicopter experienced a low energy impact with the ground, whereupon it erupted in... Read more
22-Feb-2012Source: N V Daily
Eight months after the parents of two men who died in an aircraft crash in December 2010 filed suit against the pilot and owner of the AirCare 5 medical helicopter that their plane collided a trial date has not been set. (see full story) See also the HeliHub.com page for this accident – 31-Dec-10 N385PH... Read more
9-Feb-2012Source: USAF
After being investigated by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations for suspected contract fraud, Mr. Charles R. Priestley, 48, pled guilty and was sentenced for making a false, fictitious and fraudulent claim to the United States Air Force. The United States District Court in East St. Louis, Mo., presided over the plea and sentenced... Read more
7-Feb-2012Source: Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman
[ Editor: This press release refers to the faccident –12-Jul-11 N810AG Robinson R66 Girardot Airport, Colombia (2F) ] The aviation accident attorneys at Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman are representing the families of the two men killed in Robinson Helicopter Company’s first R66 crash which occurred on July 12, 2011 near Flandes, Colombia. Killed in... Read more
31-Jan-2012Source: HeliHub.com
In the last few hours, Bell and Eurocopter have issued press releases (reproduced below) claiming they have both won the same court case, which was about copyright infringement of skid design used on the early Bell 429 prototypes. It would appear that Bell changed the design as soon as Eurocopter first issued an injunction. Thus... Read more
27-Jan-2012Source: Daily Breeze
“All I can say is justice was done,” said Los Angeles-based lawyer Kevin Boyle, who represented the widow and family of Leo Straatman, a passenger in the R44 that went down in May 2006 near Desert Center, Calif. (see full story)... Read more
24-Jan-2012Source: HeliHub.com
It sounds a bit like a couple of children playing – “you take me to court and I’ll take you to court in return”, but we’re sure that these two organisations are taking their legal stance very seriously. The current situations are:- In December, Vector took Bell to Alabama Middle Court (case ref 2:11-cv-01071) alleging... Read more
24-Jan-2012Source: News4Jax.com
The family of one of the men killed when a helicopter chartered by Mayo Clinic crashed last month in Clay County is suing the operator of the aircraft. The children of 57-year-old David Hines are suing SK Logistics for wrongful death. They’re also suing Abraham Holdings, the company that owned the helicopter. (see full story)... Read more
13-Jan-2012Source: HAI
The Hill reported Jan. 11 that the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has filed a suit in Northern California’s U.S. District Court to force the FAA to release data about what groups have been given permission to fly higher than the FAA normally permits. Once drones enter controlled airspace (500 feet and above) they are required to have... Read more
12-Jan-2012Source: The Australian
Milton Jones is going to the High Court to block air safety investigators from viewing uncut footage allegedly showing him piloting a helicopter after drinking alcohol, leaving children at an aircraft’s controls and unlawfully taking crocodile eggs from their nests. (see full story)... Read more
11-Jan-2012Source: Joystiq
Bell’s parent company Textron has hit EA with a trademark dispute over the company’s use of three different helicopter designs in Battlefield 3 without permission. In return, EA struck with a pre-emptive lawsuit against Textron claiming that the use of the helicopters is protected under the “First Amendment and the doctrine of nominative fair use.” (see... Read more
30-Dec-2011Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal
A second wrongful death lawsuit was filed Thursday in a Nevada court against the Las Vegas-based operator of a sightseeing tour helicopter that crashed and killed five people earlier this month (see full story)... Read more
15-Dec-2011Source: Kansas City Star
The first wrongful death lawsuit was filed Tuesday in Nevada on behalf of the families of a honeymooning couple from India killed in a Las Vegas sightseeing helicopter crash that also took the lives of the pilot and a Kansas couple celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. (see full story)... Read more
14-Dec-2011
A federal magistrate has refused to order Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. to pay damages to another company for allegedly hiding an internal report about a fatal accident in January 2009 (see full story) See also HeliHub.com page for this accident – 04-Jan-09 N748P Sikorsky S76C++ Gulf of Mexico, US-Gulf of Mexico (8F)... Read more
11-Dec-2011
In November 2009, a Piasecki helicopter struck high tension wires shortly after departing from Adelanto airport as it headed for an airshow in Riverside, California. The helicopter crashed and burned, and all three aboard were killed. (see full story) See also HeliHub.com accident page – 07-Nov-09 N183YP Piasecki PV-18 Adelanto, US-California (3F)... Read more
29-Nov-2011Source: Otago Daily Times
44-year-old mother of three admitted misappropriating more than $130,000 from her employer over seven years (see full story)... Read more
29-Nov-2011Source: Gates & Partners
The UK headquarters of leading international lawyers Gates & Partners, which focuses specifically on aviation law, has this month launched a new set of initiatives to support the industry’s understanding of complex legal and regulatory issues within the aviation sector. The latest event was held in early November and aimed to bring banks and insurance... Read more
28-Nov-2011Source: CBC
Representatives for both companies wouldn’t give details of the settlement. Cougar’s statement of claim said it was looking for more than $20 million for negligence and fraudulent misrepresentation after the crash (see full story)... Read more
17-Nov-2011Source: Radio NZ
The Civil Aviation Authority says the pilot was fined $1000 and ordered to pay $130 in court costs after he took several players and caddies on free low-level flights over the Pegasus golf course. (full story)... Read more
12-Nov-2011Source: Star-Telegram
Judge ruled that Michael Prieto and his lawyer Hal Gillespie failed to prove that he was fired for investigating whether Bell was overcharging the U.S. government on military contracts. (See full story)... Read more
11-Nov-2011Source: Berg
Commercial law firm Berg has been instrumental in securing the downfall of Longmint Aviation Limited, part of the Longmint Group which together with the Erinaceous Group plc, acquired the various engineering and aviation companies at Fairoaks Airport in July 2007. Berg has secured a string of victories in order to recover sums due, and occupation... Read more
27-Oct-2011Source: Miami Herald
Plaintiffs’ attorneys say Stratford, Conn.-based Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. reached agreements this week with relatives of at least five victims who died and with the crash’s lone survivor. (see full story)... Read more
