The AS350B3 airbus operated by Wasilla’s Soloy Helicopters with two guides and three clients from Tordrillo Mountain Lodge crashed 21 miles southeast of Palmer in the Chugach Mountains. It was one of the deadliest heli-skiing accidents in North American history.
Among the dead is the richest man in the Czech Republic, Petr Kellner (56) and the internationally renowned heli-ski guide Gregory Harms (52).
However, new court documents suggest that Kellner and another person considered to be Harms survived in the rubble after the helicopter crashed down the mountainside.
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Kellner survived the crash, but according to the files, “he died waiting for rescue.” Harms is also thought to have survived but “suffered severe and ultimately fatal injuries,” according to a separate civil lawsuit filed last week in a U.S. district court.
A unique video by Petr Kellner
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A unique video by Petr Kellner • VIDEO PPF.cz
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Also killed was 33-year-old Soloy pilot Zachary Russell of Anchorage, 38-year-old guide Sean McManamy and 50-year-old French snowboarder Benjamin Larochaix.
At the time of the rescue service, they found only one surviving, 48-year-old Czech snowboarder, David Horváth.
The court documents do not say how long Kellner or Harms lived, what caused their deaths, nor do they provide evidence that they could survive if a faster accident warning triggered faster rescue work.
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For unclear reasons, no one knew immediately that the helicopter was down. The emergency locator beacon did not start on impact. If someone was following the road in real time, they would not sound the alarm.
The rescue coordination center, responsible for sending Alaska National Guard’s elite paratroopers on mountain missions, received a delayed helicopter notification more than 2.5 hours after the crash.
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