$100M settlement reached in ‘18 Grand Canyon helicopter crash that killed 5

A Las Vegas judge has approved a $100 million settlement for the family of a British tourist killed in a 2018 Grand Canyon helicopter crash.

Jonathan Udall, 31, of Southampton, England, was one of five people who died as a result of the Airbus EC130 B4 helicopter crash on Feb. 10, 2018, in the Grand Canyon on tribal land in Arizona. The lawsuit, filed by attorney Gary Robb, alleged that the helicopter operator company, Papillon Airways Inc. in Boulder City, neglected to outfit its copters with crash-resistant fuel systems.

The lawsuit was filed against the operating company and the helicopter manufacturer, Airbus Helicopters.

Robb said the $100 million settlement was reached on Friday and approved by District Judge Mark Denton, shortly before the case was set to go to trial next month. He said that Udall’s parents were happy with the settlement but also wanted to raise awareness about the case.

“One of the primary motivations of the parents was just to shine a light on this industry and the problem, so no other parents would have to go through what they went through,” Robb said, adding that they plan to use some of the settlement money to promote helicopter safety and support organizations for burn survivors.

Udall’s family will receive $24.6 million from Papillon Airways Inc. and $75.4 million from Airbus Helicopters, The Associated Press reported.

Attorneys for the helicopter manufacturer and operating company did not respond to request for comment Tuesday.

Robb, whose firm has spent 25 years litigating lawsuits in helicopter crashes, said that a crash-resistant fuel system would have gone a long way to prevent further death in the 2018 crash. The lawsuit alleged that the fuel tank ruptured on contact during the crash, drenching the passengers with fuel that ignited.

Robb described the fuel tank on the helicopter as “basically a milk jug” that easily broke on impact.

Udall suffered severe burns on more than 90 percent of his body and died 12 days after the crash, according to a news release. The lawsuit alleged that Udall would have survived his injuries from the crash if it weren’t for the ruptured fuel system and subsequent fire.

Udall was on his honeymoon with his newlywed wife, Ellie Milward, who also died of her injuries in the weeks after the crash. Three other British tourists, Becky Dobson, 27, Jason Hill, 32, and Stuart Hill, 30, died at the scene of the crash.

Another passenger and the helicopter pilot, Scott Booth, survived the crash. Booth, who lost both of his legs in the crash, told the Review-Journal in 2020 that the group was sightseeing in the canyon when the helicopter spun to the left at least twice as it fell out of the sky. He previously told the newspaper that it should be a requirement for commercial aircraft to have the safer crash-resistant fuel tanks.

Robb said that since 1994, the FAA has required all newly designed helicopters to be equipped with crash-resistant fuel systems, but a former loophole allowed manufacturers to avoid the requirement. Since 2020, no helicopters can be sold without the fuel system, but there are still helicopters in use today without the tanks, he said.

“The problem remains is that there’s so many helicopters out flying around that still have this fire-bomb fuel tank,” Robb said.

After the 2018 crash, Papillon announced it would retrofit its fleet with crash-resistant tanks.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240.