Butch Kerzner killed in chopper crash
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Butch Kerzner killed in chopper crash
More sad news -
4HP
Howard "Butch" Kerzner, chief executive of hotel and casino operator Kerzner International Holdings, was killed on Wednesday in a helicopter crash in the Dominican Republic. Kerzner was surveying potential development sites for his company when the helicopter went down near the resort of Puerto Plata. He died along with two pilots and another passenger, the company said in a written statement. "It is with great sadness that the entire company mourns the tragic loss of Butch Kerzner," the company said.
Kerzner, 42, and his father, chairperson Sol Kerzner, recently led a $3.2bn buyout of their company, which operates Atlantis Paradise Island, a casino resort in the Bahamas, and the One&Only luxury hotel chain. Privately held Kerzner International, based in the Bahamas, is nearing completion of about $1bn in expansions at its Bahamas resort and is constructing a second $1.5bn Atlantis-branded resort in Dubai. Butch Kerzner told Reuters in an interview last month the company was also eyeing Las Vegas as a potential site for a multibillion-dollar Atlantis resort. Kerzner has partnered with Singapore's CapitaLand to bid for a license to develop a casino resort worth more than $1.5bn on the city-state's Sentosa island. The helicopter crashed about 190km north of the Dominican capital, Santo Domingo, in the area of Sosua and Cabarete, near the well-known resort of Puerto Plata. A civil aviation official said the aircraft, which belonged to a company called Helipuertos Dominicanos, encountered bad weather and was believed to have had mechanical problems. It was flown by two Dominican military pilots
and carrying another Dominican national, the official said.
Sol Kerzner, the South African gaming tycoon who created Sun City and founded Kerzner International, was en route to the Dominican Republic. The company said board member Paul O'Neil, the former chief executive of the company's largest operation in the Bahamas, has been appointed acting CEO of Kerzner effective immediately. Butch Kerzner, who was appointed chief executive in January 2004, is survived by his wife and two children.
Kerzner, 42, and his father, chairperson Sol Kerzner, recently led a $3.2bn buyout of their company, which operates Atlantis Paradise Island, a casino resort in the Bahamas, and the One&Only luxury hotel chain. Privately held Kerzner International, based in the Bahamas, is nearing completion of about $1bn in expansions at its Bahamas resort and is constructing a second $1.5bn Atlantis-branded resort in Dubai. Butch Kerzner told Reuters in an interview last month the company was also eyeing Las Vegas as a potential site for a multibillion-dollar Atlantis resort. Kerzner has partnered with Singapore's CapitaLand to bid for a license to develop a casino resort worth more than $1.5bn on the city-state's Sentosa island. The helicopter crashed about 190km north of the Dominican capital, Santo Domingo, in the area of Sosua and Cabarete, near the well-known resort of Puerto Plata. A civil aviation official said the aircraft, which belonged to a company called Helipuertos Dominicanos, encountered bad weather and was believed to have had mechanical problems. It was flown by two Dominican military pilots
and carrying another Dominican national, the official said. Sol Kerzner, the South African gaming tycoon who created Sun City and founded Kerzner International, was en route to the Dominican Republic. The company said board member Paul O'Neil, the former chief executive of the company's largest operation in the Bahamas, has been appointed acting CEO of Kerzner effective immediately. Butch Kerzner, who was appointed chief executive in January 2004, is survived by his wife and two children.
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Aircraft was an R44 piloted by DR military pilots, rumour is there was some kind of tail rotor separation, this is the second one in the past few months. Debris of tail fragments found away from the main impact...as I say, just rumour, let's wait and see what the report says
Investigations were expected to continue into the coming week. A preliminary report said the helicopter's tail rotor fell off while the group was in flight from the Playa Grande golf resort to Puerto Plata International Airport.
The aircraft, operated by Helicopteros Dominicanos SA, was built in 2000 and certified as air-worthy through 2007, said civil aviation spokesman Angel de la Rosa.
There have been 60 accidents — not including Wednesday's — involving the R44 since production began in 1993, including eight fatal accidents that killed 14 people this year, according to statistics from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.
The aircraft, operated by Helicopteros Dominicanos SA, was built in 2000 and certified as air-worthy through 2007, said civil aviation spokesman Angel de la Rosa.
There have been 60 accidents — not including Wednesday's — involving the R44 since production began in 1993, including eight fatal accidents that killed 14 people this year, according to statistics from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.
