The Tordrillo Mountain Lodge, a luxury ski resort based in Judd Lake, Alaska, confirmed to Sputnik on Monday that its guests and guides were among those killed after a helicopter crashed while on a heli-skiing tour
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th March, 2021) The Tordrillo Mountain Lodge, a luxury ski resort based in Judd Lake, Alaska, confirmed to Sputnik on Monday that its guests and guides were among those killed after a helicopter crashed while on a heli-skiing tour.
"On the afternoon of Saturday, March 27th, a helicopter crash occurred during operations. On the aircraft were Tordrillo Mountain Lodge guides, guests and a pilot from Soloy Helicopters. It is with deepest sorrow we report that only one member of the group of 6 survived the accident," the resort said in a statement.
According to the statement, this was the first such event in the resort's 17 years of operations.
The resort expressed deepest condolences to the families and friends of the deceased victims.
The Alaska Department of Public Safety identified the five victims in the crash as: Petr Kellner and Benjamin Larochaix from the Czech Republic, Gregory Harms from Colorado, and local Alaskan residents Sean McManamy and Zachary Russell, who is the pilot of the helicopter.
Kellner is the richest person in the Czech Republic and his investment company PPF Group confirmed to reporters that the billionaire was among the victims killed in the crash.
The survived passenger remains in serious but stable condition and is receiving medical care at an Anchorage area hospital, the Alaska Department of Public Safety said.
The Tordrillo Mountain Lodge advertised heli-skiing service as an "unparalleled alpine adventure" on its official website. The heli-skiing packages start at $15,000 per guest.
According to the Alaska Department of Public Safety, the crashed helicopter was an Airbus AS350B3 owned by Soloy Helicopters of Wasilla, Alaska.
The Soloy Helicopters described the Airbus AS350B3 as "one of the most capable light helicopters flying today" on its official website. The helicopter is designed to carry five or six passengers with a cruise speed of 115 knots and endurance of 2.6 hours.
According to local authorities in Alaska, the US National Transportation Safety board will conduct an investigation into the cause of the helicopter crash.
The Temporary Flight Restriction that was in place over the Knik Glacier area, where the crash took place, has been lifted, the Alaska Department of Public Safety said.
