California Injury Blog

The family of 25-year-old firefighter, Scott Charlson, who was killed in an August 5, 2008 helicopter crash while fighting a wildfire in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against an Oregon-based helicopter company and three other firms. According to a news report in The Oregonian, nine firefighters were killed in this helicopter crash and four survived.

The lawsuit, filed by Richard and Nina Charlson, in California Superior Court in Shasta County, names Carson Helicopters Inc. of Grants Pass, Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. – the manufacturer of the helicopter that crashed, United Technologies Corp. and General Electric. The helicopter reportedly crashed moments after taking off. An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the helicopter lost power to its main rotor as it took off.

Attorneys who have brought lawsuits against Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. in the past say the circumstances of this Shasta crash are similar to four other aviation accidents that recently killed or seriously injured West Coast pilots flying Sikorsky S-61 helicopters. A striking similarity in all crashes is that they happened during take off. All these aviation crashes were caused by a failure of the clutch mechanism, which connects engines to the helicopter’s main rotors.

My heart goes out to the families of all the victims of this horrific aircraft accident.

I’d previously blogged about this tragic Northern California product defect case to point out compensations are likely to be much higher if the crash was the fault of a third party. There are apparently many similarities between this Shasta helicopter crash and the others attributed to the Sikorsky S-61 helicopter product defects. As officials say, there may be other factors such as maintenance issues, possible mechanical malfunction or issues with the helicopter’s pilot. I trust this wrongful death lawsuit will bring out the facts about these Sikorsky S-61 helicopters. The family members of the deceased have a right to find out what exactly caused this crash and who was responsible. If the manufacturer of the helicopter is found to have manufactured a defective product, then the family members have the right to significant compensation for their loss.