Steven Lewis, 38, from Rainhill, died when his chopper crashed near Blackpool in September, 2009.
Philip Gray, 46, from the West Lancs village of Mawdesley, who also died, was taking flying lessons with Mr Lewis in the two-seater Schweizer helicopter.
Representatives of both men have filed a wrongful death lawsuit in the US against the aircraft maker and 10 other defendants.
They are seeking a total of at least $1.25m – £770,000 – for loss of earnings and mental anguish, claiming negligence and product liability.
They allege faulty engine parts, a fuel injector and part of the ignition system directly led to Mr Lewis losing power over the Lancashire coastline. The last transmission from Mr Lewis, just 20 minutes after take-off, was a single word: “Failure.”
Steven’s brother, Adrian, said on behalf of the family: “Steven was a fantastic brother and a superb pilot. His tragic and untimely death is still so difficult to comprehend.
“The key thing in our battle for justice for Steven is ensuring that the helicopter manufacturers are thoroughly investigated and no stone is left unturned to get to the bottom of what went wrong.” The families last week overcame the first hurdle in the mammoth compensation case after a judge ruled that the case should be heard in the USA.
New York-based Schweizer Aircraft and 10 other defendants, including engine and parts makers, attempted to have the lawsuit kicked out, claiming it should be heard in the UK. A Federal judge ruled the legal action should proceed in the USA, where the helicopter wreckage is held. Mr Lewis said: “It is clear that to get to the bottom of what went wrong the investigation needs to proceed in the country where a judge has access to all the evidence and witnesses to hand – the United States.
“We hope the case will progress quickly so we can find the answers as to why Steven was taken from us.”
An inquest into the deaths of Mr Lewis and Mr Gray concluded with the jury delivering a narrative verdict, saying “they could not clearly state what the sequence of events were that caused the loss of usable engine power”.
The inquest had heard how the men had been practicing auto-rotation manoeuvres, where the power is cut to the engine by closing the throttle, and the blades of the helicopter continue to rotate.
The jury were told the flight had been normal up until the point of the Mayday call, when the engine was not producing useful power.
Lewis family lawyer Jim Morris, from Irwin Mitchell solicitors, said the legal bid may take years.
He said: “What we are focusing on is what went wrong with this helicopter.
“Hopefully, as a result of this process, investigation and expert reports, we will identify what actually happened and from that see what lessons can be learned for future Schweizer operations.”
Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk
NTSB Identification: CEN09WA598
14 CFR Non-U.S., Non-Commercial
Accident occurred Tuesday, September 22, 2009 in Blackpool, United Kingdom
Aircraft: SCHWEIZER 269C, registration: G-LINX
Injuries: 2 Fatal.
The foreign authority was the source of this information.
On September 22, 2009, at 1104 universal coordinated time, a Schweizer 269C helicopter, United Kingdom registered G-LINX, registered to Heli-Lynx Limited, was destroyed when it impacted terrain near Blackpool, Lancashire, England. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The accident flight originated from Blackpool.
The accident investigation is under the jurisdiction and control of the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB). This report is for informational purposes only and contains only information released by or obtained from the government of the United Kingdom. Further information pertaining to this accident may be obtained from:
Air Accidents Investigation Branch
Department for Transport
Farnborough House
Berkshire Copse Road
Aldershot, Hampshire
GU11 2HH, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0) 1252 510300
Email: investigations@aaib.gov.uk
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