Two killed in A109 near Bournemouth - AAIB report published

[Time Out]

Two Killed in Helicopter Crash

By Martin Halfpenny, PA News

Two people were killed when a helicopter crashed near an airport, police said tonight.

The civilian chopper was believed to have been en route from London when it crashed into a field near Pitt House Farm about one mile from Bournemouth International Airport at 7.42pm.

Police said two bodies were recovered from the wreckage.

Officers were tonight scouring the immediate area of the crash site in case there could be other bodies.

Air accident investigators from Farnborough in Hampshire were on their way to the scene.

source (http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2605819)

Helicopter crash kills two
10.05PM, 3 Mar 2004

Two people have been killed in a helicopter crash near Bournemouth International Airport in Hurn, Dorset.

Eyewitnesses said the chopper burst into flames on impact after crashing on a strip of land between the River Avon and the busy A338 dual carriageway.

Rescuers said it was "a miracle" that the aircraft missed nearby traffic.

"We sent three ambulances, two officers and an immediate response car and paramedics were on scene within a few minutes of the call," a Dorset Ambulance Service spokesman said.

"Sadly, the aircraft was well ablaze and the casualties were trapped inside it. There was nothing that could be done to save them."

A spokesman for Dorset Fire Service said: "We can confirm that a helicopter has come down near Bournemouth International Airport and burst into flames, killing two people on board.

"We were called at 7.40pm to reports of the aircraft well alight. Fire crews from Dorset and the airport are at the scene trying to put out the fire."

source (http://www.itv.com/news/1087950.html)

[cyclic flare]

Just heard on the news a chopper down in Bournemouth 2 killed aircraft destroyed. Aircraft from London

[rotorcraig]

BBC News (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/dorset/3531095.stm) are reporting that the aircraft was an Augusta from the Basildon area of Essex

Helicopter crashes near airport

Two people have been killed in a helicopter crash near Bournemouth airport.

The helicopter, believed to be from Essex, came down close to a wooded area near Pithouse Lane about one mile east of the airport.

Witnesses report seeing an Augusta helicopter burst into flames shortly before 2000 GMT on Wednesday.

Police are searching the area for any other bodies, but say operation of the airport has returned to normal.

A Dorset Police spokesman said the two bodies had been removed from the scene.

The helicopter was destroyed on impact but no buildings were damaged in the crash.

Steve Smith, from Dorset ambulance service, said he believed the helicopter was from the Basildon area of Essex.

He said the ambulance crews had been stood down and were no longer at the scene. RC

[Autorotate]

Does anyone have any idea on the aircraft type yet, media reports say Agusta and there are not really that many of them in the UK are there.

Autorotate.

[Flying Lawyer]

I've been told the following.
I stress this is UNCONFIRMED

Augusta 109E
G-PWER
Based Hurn, possibly at Red Helicopters
Professional Pilot

I've been told the pilot's name but it wouldn't be right to give it on the forum because it hasn't yet been formally released and, more important, because my information comes from a single source and I haven't been able to confirm it.

I have confirmed that G-PWER is an A109E, and is registered to a local company at Poole near Bournemouth.

FL

[Heliport]

Meridian TV report this morningHelicopter crashes in Dorset killing two
4 Mar, 2004, 6:29

Investigations will continue this morning into a helicopter crash which killed two people in Dorset. The aircraft plummeted to the ground, narrowly missing houses and the busy A338 dual carriageway as it came in to land at Bournemouth Airport yesterday evening. Eyewitnesses say it burst into flames on impact and left a ten foot crater in the ground.
It's thought the Augusta 109 helicopter may have struck a power line on the approach causing the pilot to lose control. The report doesn't say who's meant by "It's thought" so no idea if there's an informed basis for that, or just journo speculation.


============

For Rotorheads not familiar with UK geography, Bournemouth (Hurn) is on the South Coast of England, about 100 nm SSW of London
http://www.flybournemouth.com/images/numap.jpg

[Autorotate]

Just got off the phone with a friend there in the UK who has an associate at the crash site. Indications are were that it hit the top line of a main power line. Now this is not 100% confirmed but just some feedback I got that thought would pass along.

Condolences to the friends and family of the pilot and passenger.

Autororate :( :(

[Flying Lawyer]

I've now confirmed the pilot's name and that his family were informed soon after the crash.

Sadly, Max Radford was killed last night.

I'm told he used to work at Redhill before moving to Red Aviation at Hurn.

My condolences to his friends and family.


NB:
To avoid any confusion, although registered to a company at Sunseeker House, the A109 which crashed isn't owned by Sunseeker Boats.
(Sunseeker House is an office block with several tenants.)

[ppheli]

FL, I think it's even more confusing that that in reality. It is worth pointing out that the owner is also not related to another company with Sunseeker in the name who

- own an N reg A109 Mk.II
- are not related to Sunseeker, the boat manufacturer (bet they wish they had trademarked the name...)
- operate from the same street selling preowned boats
- have rally interests

pp

[Flying Lawyer]

Thanks ppheli

I thought it might be rather confusing to go into that amount of detail, but you may be right.
All I was trying to do was prevent people who might check the CAA's online database for an Agusta 109 in the Bournemouth area, and see the owner's registered address from:

wrongly jumping to the conclusion that the A109 associated with the 'Sunseeker' name was involved and,

more important,

wrongly assuming that the pilot we associate with the Sunseeker helicopter was one of the two men sadly killed. He is alive and well - we spoke this morning.

Tudor

[Brilliant Stuff]

My condolences to his family and friends.

Very sad to loose another colleague.

T. H.

[Flintstone]

Max was a good friend.

My thoughts are with his family.

[Ian Corrigible]

Details of the pax now released:

British head of Yukos holding dies in helicopter crash
AFP 3/4

A British lawyer, Stephen Curtis, who was managing director of the holding group for embattled Russian oil giant Yukos has died in a helicopter crash in southern England, a Menatep Group spokesman in Russia told AFP.

British police announced late Wednesday that two people had died in a civilian helicopter crash at Bournemouth near the southern coast.

The helicopter, believed to have been flying from London, came down in a field about one mile (1.6 kilometres) from the airport and two bodies were recovered from the wreckage.

Stephen Curtis was appointed as managing director of Menatep Group in mid-November until Platon Lebedev, the group's chairman currently in prison and under investigation for fraud, was able to resume his functions,

Menatep, registered in Gibraltar, is the largest shareholder in Russia's largest oil company Yukos whose former chief executive Mikhail Khodorkovsky was arrested at gunpoint in October and is being held in preventive detention on charges of fraud and tax evasion.

Lebedev's arrest on July 2 triggered a string of investigations into Yukos which observers have interpreted as a crackdown against Khodorkovsky's political opposition to President Vladimir Putin.

:(

I/C

[moku]

AAIB now say that they DO NOT believe the helicopter struck the power lines located near the field.

Did not know Max or Stephen but have heard alot of good things about them since the accident.
RIP.

[headsethair]

From tonight's London Evening Standard:

Tycoon's lawyer dies in crash

A lawyer with close links to Russian tycoons Roman Abramovich and Boris Berezovsky has died in a mysterious helicopter crash.

Stephen Curtis, who was until recently a partner of solicitors Curtis & Company, died when the Augusta helicopter that he owned crashed a mile from Bournemouth airport. The accident also claimed the life of the pilot.

An inquiry by the Air Accident Investigation Branch is under way today after it emerged that the helicopter, which had taken off from London's Battersea heliport, crashed in a field east of the airport in Dorset.

The accident happened shortly before 8pm last night.

Mr Curtis, 45, is understood to have acted as lawyer to Mr Berezovsky and several other UK-based oligarchs who oppose Russian president Vladimir Putin. Mr Curtis had also recently been involved with Mr Abramovich's bid to take over a major Russian oil company.

Mr Berezovsky, Britain's richest refugee, is regarded as a mentor to billionaire Chelsea FC owner Abramovich. He is wanted on fraud charges in Moscow but, after being arrested in London, was granted political asylum.

The Russian authorities are chasing Mr Berezovsky on charges that he and an associate defrauded a regional government of the equivalent of £8 million during the mid-1990s.

Locals reported hearing the helicopter's twin engines struggling as it passed overhead, moments before a loud explosion in the field.

Air traffic controllers raised the alarm when they suddenly lost contact with the helicopter and no Mayday call was sent by the pilot.

Witness Sarah Price, who lives in one of four detached houses just 300 yards from the crash scene, said she heard silence before a loud explosion.

The 26-year-old dental nurse said: "My husband and I have lived under the flight path to the airport for a year or so. We had always dreaded the thought of something terrible like this happening. There was just a period of silence in the moments before the explosion so I guess the engines must have cut out.

"Then I heard a massive bang and rushed up to the window and just saw this big fireball across the field."

The debris of the wreckage was strewn across a quarter of a mile. The bodies of the two victims were taken to a mortuary at Boscombe. A post mortem is due to take place tomorrow.

Mr Curtis was also the MD of the $30billion holding company Group Menatep Ltd, which has interests in the Russian oil industry.

Leonid Nevzlin, a colleague at Group Menatep, said: "Stephen was a great friend and colleague."

Mr Berezovsky, an influential insider in Boris Yeltsin's Kremlin, is one of the few so-called oligarchs - men who made fortunes following the 1991 Soviet collapse - to face prosecution after Mr Putin's pledge to crack down on them.

[Slotty]

Knew Max out in California, nice guy. Enjoyed a beer and a laugh. RIP

[Rotorbike]

Trained in California at the same time as Max.

Many good memories.

May you Rest In Peace.

[HeliEng]

When I heard the first reports this morning, I feared the worst, but hoped for the best. Unfortunatly I then heard that I had lost a colleague and a friend.
Despite his quirkiness, Max was a good, kind and fun person, with boundless energy and zest.
From his days at Panshanger, with G-XTEC, and fond memories of the Summer Barbeques. To his more recent exploits at Bournemouth.
I’ll never forget when Red Aviation was in the making, walking up and down the roads in Bournemouth with him picking out the nice looking cars and putting leaflets under the wipers, frozen to the core but soldiering on for the cause.
His dedication and enthusiasm will never be forgotten, and I for one know that there will be a hole in my life where Max used to be.

My condolences to all Friends and Relatives of both Max and Stephen

May you rest in peace Max, you’ll not be forgotten.

[AirWon]

Just found out. Can't bloody believe it. I trained with Max back in '95 in California. We have truly lost a great character, warm and down right hilarious at times. I'll miss you, Max.

[bedddo]

I had the great privilege of teaching Max to fly in California back in 1994. He was an instant friend and I've been in close contact with him ever since we both came back to the UK. I've seen him go from Flight instructor at Panshanger to making a great success of Red Aviation.

We've shared some great times and always had a laugh. If there is one thing that you could count on Max being, it was great fun. He was a kind warm-hearted guy who would do anything to help out his friends.

I'm glad you came to see us a couple of weeks ago to meet Chloe for the first time. I'll make sure she hears your name when she's older and knows all about you.

Rest in peace matey and don't go buzzing the Pearly Gates too often! You'll be sadly missed mate and will be forever in our hearts.

[skysailor]

Hello hello!

To all who've posted here as Max's friends and colleagues: by now most of you know the flight was operated by Red, Max's company. I am touched by all of your comments, but as you are under psuedonyms, I don't know who you are to thank you (tho' I can work some out - Geordie pilot!!) I would very much appreciate it if you contacted me with your real names, email me at [email protected]

Max was a clown who filled my every day with madness for the last 14 months. I enjoyed every moment of it, and Red will be adrift without our loony leader.

But as Max would say, 'it's all good'.

Many thanks again.

Red Aviation Staff

[arm the floats]

I also knew Max from California, good memories indeed.

RIP

[sandy helmet]

Unbelievable! I trained with Max in California, had many a pint together - he was a great laugh and always the man with the plan.
My condolences to his family.

[splodge]

I flew with Max in Bournmouth and am numbed by the news. He was one of the most enthusiastic people I have had the pleasure to meet; great fun both in the aircraft and out for a beer. A friend that will be sadly missed.
Condolences to family and friends.

[finalchecksplease]

I was also privileged to have known Max when he was starting out in helicopter flying, my condolences to his family and friends
May you Rest in Peace Max

[HeliEng]

Good evening to you all.

Does anyone have any further information on the accident?

Any more from the AAIB?

[Heliport]

East Anglian Daily Times report

TRIBUTES have been paid to a pilot who was killed in a horrific helicopter crash.
Matt Radford, 34, from Worlington, near Mildenhall, died when the Augusta A109 he was flying plummeted into a field near Bournemouth Airport.
Both Mr Radford and his passenger, lawyer Stephen Curtis, were killed instantly when the helicopter hit the ground and burst into flames just a mile from its destination.

A former Mildenhall Upper School pupil, Mr Radford grew up in Worlington, where he had lived with his parents, Dennis and Gloria.
After leaving home, he started up his helicopter company, Red Aviation, four years ago, which was based at Bournemouth Airport and offered flight training, executive travel and leisure trips.
Residents in Lark Close, Worlington, were still trying to come to terms last night with the death of their neighbours' son, who was well-known in the village.

Staff at Red Aviation also said in a statement: "We are devastated by the tragic loss of our colleague in Wednesday's accident.
"Matt was an experienced, dedicated commercial pilot and instructor and he will be greatly missed by his friends and the industry as a whole. Our sympathy goes out to the families and friends of the two men."

[HeliEng]

Nice to see that they managed to research it so well.

Couldn't even get MAX'S name right

:( :* :* :(

[Whirley]

He was a great instructor!!! RIP

[HeliEng]

KMS

It was more that you'd have thought they'd have know that, and respected his preference and wishes.

[Heliport]

HeliEng

I know what you mean, it is unfortunate, but the most important thing is they got across that Max was popular, respected and will be missed by those who knew him in his home village by his staff at Red Aviation.

[AstraMike]

There is a BIG difference between a Robbo and a 109E: there is much more to go wrong in the latter, requiring serious helpings of experience. Apparently, the gear was down but impact was at high speed in the opposite direction to the runway with the engines, transmission and even tail ripped from the airframe. One cannot discount disorientation in bad weather, at low altitude, I guess?

[Hover Bovver]

Apparently, I guess.

I think I would leave the guesswork to the experts!

[Heliport]

Thanks for the factual information in the middle of your post AstraMike.
Shame about the beginning and the end.

[The Nr Fairy]

The UK AAIB have issued a Special Bulletin regarding this accident, detailing the facts as currently known.

It can be found here (http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_avsafety/documents/page/dft_avsafety_027966.hcsp).

[Flintstone]

I was told the aircraft had previously suffered a screen failure.

??

[YBOTT]

Flintstone, in answer to your question marks, I would presume a 'screen failure' refers to the EFIS screens fitteed to the A109E.
There are however old fashioned 'steam driven' standby instruments to cover for this very failure (which is not unknown, I had one myself). The standby's are small but clear and present no problem to use IMC or at Night (again personal experience). Let's what and see what AAIB say.

[Flintstone]

Sorry YBOTT, I should have made myself clearer.


By "??" I was wondering if anyone knew if there'd been previous failures as opposed to asking what such a failure was.

The initial report suggests something other than pilot error, not that it makes the news any easier.

It was his bloody round too.

[Send Clowns]

Guys this is very sad, and although I did not know Max I know many people who did, and it seems understandable that he is so well liked. I have not even flown rotary for some time. However in a forum open to the press and public we do owe UK helicopter operations some honesty, especially in the safety records. Helicopters are generally very safe and reliable. We can't start saying "it doesn't look like pilot error" on the strength of this report....he did not hold a UK Instrument Rating...visibility 2,700 metres in light rain with a few clouds at 1,200 feet; scattered cloud at 1,700 feet and broken cloud at 2,500 feet. ... The visual controller and the approach radar controller were both in the visual control room.At night. Over an unlit area.

The area of the crash has almost no lighting, very few buildings. Talking to people who were there at the time that is a generous interpretation of the weather, with cloud reported around 600 feet in the area, and mist. Under SVFR, 1 mile from a runway with ALS, instrumentation failures should not be critical.

I'm not saying it was pilot error. I am saying there is nothing in this report that "...suggests something other than pilot error". We don't want to be doing exactly what we criticise the press for, jumping the gun on the cause. I'm with YBOTT on this. Wait for the full report.

[Wedge]

Not sure if this has been posted anywhere else, sorry if it has, but The Times today ran an article that strongly hinted at the possibility that this could have been something more sinister than a tragic accident:



March 29, 2004

British millionaire feared for his life before fatal helicopter crash
By Daniel McGrory and Simon de Bruxelles



A BRITISH lawyer who helped to create one of the world’s richest companies told a colleague that he feared for his life just before he was killed in a helicopter crash this month.
Stephen Curtis would not identify any specific threat, but talked of his concerns about business rivals in Russia, including some with close links to the Kremlin.

Mr Curtis, who would never allow himself to be photographed, had begun to take extra security precautions, such as telling only his closest aides about his travel plans. One report claims that Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the Moscow oligarch who is in jail in Russia, instructed lawyers to make Mr Curtis the sole signatory to their company’s vast bank accounts.

Mr Curtis, 45, was also allegedly being urged to move his own sizeable financial holdings in Menatep, an oil and banking company, to a different offshore bank amid suggestions that the Kremlin was trying to seize its funds.

Days after confiding his private fears about his safety, the multimillionaire died in a mysterious crash as he was being flown home to his castle in Dorset on March 4. So little wreckage survived the fire that the Air Accidents Investigation Branch says that it may be many months before it can say for certain what happened during the last moments of Mr Curtis’s short flight from London. His remains have still not been formally identified from the wreckage.

His wife, Sarah, a former opera singer, has refused to say anything about his death.

In the world in which he operated Stephen Curtis's violent death was bound to create a glut of rumours and conspiracy theories which will proliferate the longer it takes the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) to deliver its official report.

An AAIB spokesman said yesterday that its investigation could take up to six months to complete. The helicopter's remains are being reassembled in a hangar at the investigation base in Farnborough.

As well as examining the wreckage minutely investigators want to talk to witnesses about the final seconds of the flight. They have contradicted initial reports that the helicopter flew into power lines.

Electricity and telephone companies insist that none of their lines was damaged and there had been no explanation as to why witnesses such as Sarah Price describe hearing the helicopter approach, then a silence before it hit the ground.

The pilot of the six-seater Augusta 109 helicopter, Max Radford, had been in touch with air traffic controllers but had not sent out a distress signal.

Mr Curtis was the closest confidant of Mr Khodorkovsky, arguably Russia’s richest man, who was arrested last October on charges of fraud and tax evasion. Mr Khodorkovsky is an opponent of President Putin and the Kremlin is keeping a close watch on the crash investigation.

Stephen Curtis was the brains behind the creation of a network of offshore companies for the powerful Menatep group, which helped Mr Khodorkovsky and his associates to control the Russian oil giant Yukos. One Menatep insider said: “Stephen was a frightened man. He was the company. He knew everything.”

Menatep is said to be worth more than $30 billion (£16.3 billion). Mr Curtis was appointed its managing director last November when his Russian predecessor was arrested.

His inquest is due to open tomorrow under the direction of the Bournemouth, Poole and East Dorset Coroner. It will be adjourned and a full hearing will take place after air accident investigators conclude their findings.

--------

For some reason the online article was not as complete as the one printed so I have copied the missing section in above.

If any of those who knew the pilot consider posting this insensitive, I apologise, but I thought that given it was in The Times that it ought to be noted.

[HeliEng]

Does anyone have any details on Max's funeral yet?

[Flintstone]

Clowns, my comments were aimed at some who read this forum and who had telephoned me with what they believed to be information on this. Sorry if my defence of Max bothered you (well I'm not sorry actually) but then as you say you didn't know him. Some of us did though.

HeliEng. I've not heard yet but hope it's soon, for all concerned.

[Send Clowns]

Sorry you lost a friend in Max, Flintstone. Defending him is fine, as long as you don't do so with misinformation that could be taken as fact by the press and public. Prejudging enquiries is exactly what we complain about in press coverage of aviation, we must avoid it in our own comments.

[Flintstone]

Clowns, please don't patronise me. I'm not in the mood.

If anyone hears of the funeral details would they be kind enough to PM me? Thanks.

[one9two9]

Dear All

I've just been speaking to Max's mum and dad this afternoon and his funeral will be on Friday 16th April at 12:00.

Out of respect for Max, I thought it best not to post the details here. Please send me a private message or email if you'd like the details.

I hope you understand.

[Heliport]

one9two9

You must obviously do what you think is proper but, unless the funeral is for family and invited friends only, it might be helpful to post the venue here. Max was obviously very popular in the helicopter community.

[one9two9]

Heliport

You're right, he was really well respected and his parents had asked me to post the details on this site. I thought it might have been better to have people contact me individually, but after your comments I realise that there are numerous people who'd like to pay their respects. It makes more sense to post the details here:

The details are as follows:

The service will be held at the Bournemouth Crematorium near Charminster on Friday 16th April at 12:00. There will be a get together after the service at the Queens Park Golf Club in Bournemouth.

Max's dad has asked that the funeral is for a celebration of Max's life and as such, does not expect people (although it is at their discretion) to wear the standard black tie. Max would probably want us all turning up in shorts and T shirts anyway!

Max's dad has also asked that instead of flowers, could people please give donations to the RSPB (in respect of all things flying).

At last we can all get together and give him a great send off.

[Flintstone]

I hope all went well at Max's funeral today.

I and some others were going to attend however not being church goers and being pretty certain Max wasn't either (no offence intended to Max's family) we decided that we would say our farewells in our own way, in the air.

Vale Max.

[Mr P. Heli]

The mystery continues... Channel 4 did a 6 minute piece on Friday about Curtis - Max's passenger (see their website). This also appeared in The Independent...

Russian tycoon's British lawyer 'was a police informant'
By Adrian Gatton
25 April 2004
The secretive British lawyer behind the jailed oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky became a police informant only days before he died in a mysterious helicopter accident, it was claimed last night.

Stephen Curtis, who helped run the Russian billionaire's huge financial empire, was killed last month when his six-seater Augusta 109 crashed in a field near Bournemouth.

Hundreds of people attended the funeral in Dorset, including Boris Berezovsky, another Russian oligarch and a political opponent of President Valdimir Putin.

New evidence casts doubt on the circumstances of the death. A high-level police inquiry is attempting to establish whether the crash really was an accident.

Mr Curtis was an informant for the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) in London, Channel 4 News claimed last night, but had spoken to his handler only twice before he was killed.

Mr Curtis ran Menatep, the company that controls the oil giant Yukos. He was a close confidant of Yukos's former boss, Mr Khodorkovsky, who has fallen foul of President Putin and has been charged with fraud and tax evasion.

Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) officials have said they are keeping an open mind, and that piecing together the wreckage could take months because of the ferocity of the explosion.

Last November, as the key players in Yukos were either jailed or on the run, Mr Curtis became managing director of Menatep. The appointment was meant to put a key executive beyond the grasp of Russian officials.

Mr Curtis, of whom no photograph has been seen until now, was born in Sunderland in 1958 and studied economics and law at Aberystwyth University. He was employed as a clerk at Chester Crown Court before joining international law firm Fox & Gibbons, where he built a network of Arab clients in the Gulf.

At Fox & Gibbons he worked on a strategic oil deal between a Russian oil company and the United Arab Emirates. In 1994, he set up his own Park Lane practice, Curtis & Co, but left in 1998 as he became more involved with Menatep. Mr Khodorkovsky was so impressed with his work that when the oligarch was jailed last October, Mr Curtis was brought out of the shadows to become the boss, controlling $30bn of assets.

In the weeks before the accident, death threats against him increased and he was convincedhe was being bugged by the Russian authorities and business rivals. He said he was planning to sell his London apartment because it had become too well known.

Just how central he was to Yukos is shown by documents seen by Channel 4. In 1999, for example, he drew up the structures for Yukos's offshore oil trading business, giving it control of the companies while disassociating from them in a way that would save it disclosing taxable sales to the Russian authorities.

Since then, Yukos has been hit with a $3.5bn tax bill and has been the target of a concerted attack by President Putin, apparently keen to neutralise an over-mighty oligarch. The company, whose Moscow offices were raided again last week, has been barred from selling or transferring its assets. Mr Khodorkovsky, who denies charges of fraud, is expected to go on trial in Russia in June.

[HeliEng]

I heard that Channel 4 were going to be doing a full blown documentary and investigation into what happened.

Any truth in that rumour??

[Head Turner]

This will be the basis of a superb film. If made by the Brits it will be awesome. If made by the Yanks it will be complemented by some pretty girls but not very factual. Those Mexican girls would make ideal screen fillers once released from jail.

[helicam]

very insensitive head turner :(

[sandy helmet]

insensitive yes, but also probably true, as nothing is sacred anyway

[lagavulin]

I just received the tragic news about Max. My thoughts are with his family and friends. I was lucky enough to share a flat with him in the US working at Resort Aviation flight school in Lakeport CA. And I will never forget him. He was always full of laughs! It is sad that he has left us.

[Thomas coupling]

A birdie tells me that the Agusta 109 that was involved in an 'accident' in the first quarter of this year down near the south coast and which was manned by a lawyer 'allegedly' linked to the russians....might not have hit wires after all. In fact it might not have even been an accident :E

The plot thickens...........

[Vfrpilotpb]

If you zay any more, ve vill haf to keil you!:E

[Hover Bovver]

TC,
Were have you and your birdie been, they decided the next day that it had NOT hit the wires.

The aircraft was not manned by the lawyer , he was a passenger- " allegedly linked to the Russians" well seeing as he was Chairman of Menatep, it goes without saying he was linked to the Russians!

Also you shouldnt believe everything you read in the papers, the times article last week was full of inaccuracies, I guess that is what prompted the fresh post on the subject?

Regards
Hovver Bover

[SASless]

A newspaper full of bum poop? Ah, go on....tell me it ain't so!:ok:

[Thomas coupling]

Hover: a little fast off the mark, I believe. When I said manned I meant 'on board' as in "...the a/c was manned by..." :8.
Not read in the papers, but gleaned much closer to home.
He was 'allegedly' on a hit list for upsetting some business colleagues over seas.
His family were allegedly under threat.
He had a terminal illness...(allegedly) with weeks to live ironically.
...and the last 27 seconds of the ATC transmissions were very very interesting reading...allegedly!

It seems the pilot was a very sad victim in all this...........

[helicam]

I would be interested to hear the tape of the last 27 seconds. I had flown with Max a few weeks before the accident in the 109 he seemed to know the aircraft quite well, and explained that as often as he could he would couple the autopilot and allow the aircraft to fly the ILS, but complained of several EFIS screen failures in poor weather apparently this had been "sorted"

I have also been told by a friend of the Curtis family that Stephen was not a well man.

[scenictours49]

Thomas Coupling,

The Accident Bulletin is at:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_avsafety/documents/page/dft_avsafety_027966.hcsp

Then type "Max Radford" into Pprune search tool and read the threads.

Read the facts not the gossip.

49ers

[on21]

See the link below, an article in the Times today, looks like there trying to start a conspiracy theory.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,172-1636062,00.html

Any views?

[The Nr Fairy]

Compare with the accident involving G-XCEL - the cause in this case is known, but the report still hasn't been published by the AAIB. My understanding (and I'm sure friends of Ian, James or Neville will correct me if I'm wrong, and I'll edit my post if required) is that there may be legal action in the offing so the report is not being published until that is settled.

So an accident four months later which involved someone of interest to the media with no published report - not a conspiracy, IMO, just process.

[Hover Bovver]

Helicam,

Sorry I hadnt seen your post until this was brought back to the surface today. Had the aaib spoken to you ,as they were trying to speak to everyone who had flown in the 109 with MR?

The report has been given to the relatives a while ago for comment.

Regards
HB

[Three Blades]

Is anybody prepared to disclose what those last 27 sec of ATC recording allegedly contain ?

I have no connection with this accident except having seen the sad wreckage at the AAIB and having flow from Bournemouth around that time.

I fully understand if the answer is 'no'

[Hover Bovver]

It wasnt an intended transmition(open mike), and it isnt full of chatter.

[Three Blades]

HB
Some interesting sounds then perhaps...
TB

[helicam]

hover bovver

Yes i did speak to the AAIB regarding the accident as i went to see Maxs girlfriend a few days after it all happened and bumped into them at Red Aviation.

From what I saw Max seemed to understand the aircraft quite well, and was keen to further his knowledge of the aircraft by doing a few hand holding days with an A109 operator. I guess if Max had not of been on the ILS in a stabed aircraft the question about what happened may of been a bit more clear cut


helicam

[HeliEng]

I'm guessing that things like the recording are not released for Joe Public to listen to???

There may not be anything said on there, but as was said before, you may be able to hear something going on in the background.

I think there are a lot of people who would like a definate answer to what happened, but will we ever know?

[Hilico]

Link to report - here. (http://www.aaib.dft.gov.uk/sites/aaib/publications/bulletins/june_2005/agusta_a109e__g_pwer.cfm)

Says no evidence of sabotage; conclusion is disorientation in poor weather.

[eoincarey]

I don't understad the bit about the LOW RPM warning horn. I thought helicopters had governors that ensured the engine operated at the correct rpm. The report says both engines were functioning normally, so why would there be a loss of rotor rpm?

Guess sabotage has been ruled out now.

ETC

[rotorspeed]

A governor can only modulate power within a range determined by limits set by either the governor system itself, or the maximum power available from the engines, assuming the drive is intact.

Pull the lever too far and rotor rpm will ultimately droop once this limit is reached.

[212man]

If you demand more power than the engines can provide, then the Nr will decay. A governor will only control power within the range of 'idle' to 'Max contingency' (or 30 sec rating), power demand outside that range and the Nr will vary.

I'm curious about the electrical system logic; seems to favour the left hand seat to the right?

[HeliEng]

I found reading that report harrowing.

It dredged back all the feelings from the time of the accident.

I am not convinced by the summary of the report. To me it seems like a standard AAIB cop out, but then I am bias.

[rotorspeed]

HeliEng

So if you doubt the report, what do you think is a more likely cause for the accident?

Seems to me there was a fair amount of supporting evidence and as ever it looked a pretty thorough investigation.

[HeliEng]

Rotorspeed,

To be honest with you I don't know. And in truth I don't think anyone really truly will.

I knew Max for about 5 years, and I just don't believe that cloud would have been the cause of his death. In my opinion he was a very experienced, capable pilot, and I have trusted him with my life on many occasion.

Max and I (and others no doubt) have known helicopter pilots and passengers who have been killed through getting disorientated in cloud, and as such I for sure have a healthy respect for cloud, and fully appreciate how it can turn out.

I don't think this should turn into a debate about flying into cloud, this is just my opinion and the founding of it.


Regards
Helieng

[Thomas coupling]

Helieng - how current was Max in IF?

I have a conspiracy theory which won't go away..................

[Hover Bovver]

Why keep the comments to yourself , if things are wrong in the report.

[ThomasTheTankEngine]

What I'm about to say is not meant to offend anyone so please don't take offence, I'm sorry some of you lost a good friend.

But take a look at the weather report's from Bournmouth and the neibouring airports poor viss, Low cloud.

An eye witness report said the helicopter flew above him but he could not see it due to low cloud, He also said it was a cold misty night.

Not good weather for a VFR rated pilot to be flying in at night is it, I know I'm not the only here who thinks this.

Maybe the weather was OK till he was nearly at Bournmouth and then rapidly got worse which would have been very difficult for any of us to detect or know about in certain circumstance's.

But this does not change the fact's low viss, low cloud & a non instrument rated pilot at night is not a good combination, Leading to a spatial dis-orientation accident where sadly two people lost there live's.

[Rotorbike]

TC

According to the report he didn't hold a UK instrument and hadn't logged instrument flight since 6th December 1999.

From that date onward he had also only logged 40 minutes night flight until he was converted into the 109E on the 1st January 2004.

Since that date he flew 15 hours 30 minutes at night all in the 109E.

[goose boy]

My deepest sypathies go out to the Family & Friends of the two that tragically lost there lives.

Let's Hope there can be a lesson learnt from this tragedy.

[thecontroller]

Did the aircraft have backup gyro instruments? ie an attitude indicator

[The Nr Fairy]

controller:

I'm not a 109 man, but if it's got electrickery such as EFIS then I would hazard a guess that backup mechanical instruments were fitted somewhere.

However, it seems to me that even backup instruments wouldn't have helped in this situation.

[BoeingMEL]

In almost 30 years this AAIB report is the most comprehensive (and convincing) I have read. The loss of a well-liked and respected fellow-aviator - and of course his passenger - should not cloud balanced judgment. To claim to a "standard AAIB cop-out" is an unfair and unwarranted slur against probably the world's finest agencies in the field of aircraft accident investigation. (I have absolutely connection with them by the way). bm

[HeliEng]

BoeingMEL,

I am really pleased that you feel this way about this report.

I DON'T

And I am not the only one.

In my post I also followed up my comment with "but I'm bias" and I am not trying to hide this, and I have also stated that it is my opinion (which I am allowed).

But I am not alone. I have spoken to more than one person who shares my sceptisism of the report.

[Hover Bovver]

Helieng,

What do you not agree with ?

[212man]

Read this:

http://www.aaib.gov.uk/cms_resources/dft_avsafety_pdf_502753.pdf

Sound familiar?:(

[Flying Lawyer]

HeliEng

I can understand your distress at the loss of a friend, and you're obviously entitled to accept or reject the conclusions, but your comment "a standard AAIB cop out" is very unfair. The conclusions in this case may be right or may be wrong - I'm not in a position to say. However, what I am able to say, based on close analysis of many AAIB reports over many years during the course of my work, is that there is no such thing as a 'standard AAIB cop-out'.

I'm not suggesting AAIB inspectors are infallible, any more than the rest of us, but they genuinely do everything they can, using their skills and experience, to discover the cause or causes of an accident. If, at the conclusion of their investigations, they aren't satisfied they have established the cause(s) then they say so.
I have enormous respect for both the expertise of the investigators and the total integrity of the AAIB as a body.


Over the years, I've read two reports with which I've strongly disagreed; both fatal accident investigations and coincidentally in other countries. One concluded pilot error - I felt, and am still convinced 20 plus years later, that they must have missed something. The other was inconclusive but offered a number of possible factors that may have combined to cause the accident which included a very gentle suggestion of possible pilot error. Inconceivable. Shouldn't even have been included as a possibility. It may or may not be a coincidence that, in both cases, the pilot was a very close friend.

[anjouan]

HeliEng,

Many of us who have been in this industry for many years have lost close friends and have been unable to believe what happened to them, especially if we believe their skills to have been above average. However, it's a sad fact that even great aviators sometimes get into situations they are unable to cope with, especially if it's a situation with which they have neither the training nor recency to draw on to help when it all suddenly gets close to the point of nom return. As an instrument examiner of many years I have found many experienced and capable pilots who have been unable to cope even in situations they were pretty much expecting in an instrument training or check flight. I have been in simulator checks which, had they been in real helicopters would have ended in the total loss of the aircraft and all its occupants when trying to cope with even very simple emergencies which shouldn't have been life-threatening. Sometimes the greatest pressure put on a pilot is by himself. It's sad but true.

I also have the greatest of respect for the AAIB. I agree, with FL that they, like any other body, are not infallible and I accept the fact that you admit to being biased in this case. However, if you or any of the other people you speak of, have anything to back up your scepticism surely you shoud bring it to the attention of the authorities or try, withinn the forum rules, to air it here so other may try and help to bring it to the attention of the authorities. I am truly sorry you have lost a close friend and I hope that if you have anything to bring to bear on the situation you will try and get the investigation reopened. From my experience I think it's unlikely and you'll just have to try and move on. I'm sorry for the loss of your friend - a fatal accident is a sad event for any aviator, even more so when it involves someone you respected and to whom you were close.

[HeliEng]

anjouan,

I have to say, with no disrespect to any other Ppruners, that your post has made the most sense to me, and I fully take on board what you say.

FL,

I hear what you are saying, but like I said before, it is my opinion, and to it I am entitled. At no point have I said that anything within my posts are fact. I have stated at all points that I am biased and it is just my opinion.
I am almost wishing I hadn't made my earlier posts. I was being honest and giving my opinion and now I am having to try and justify my opinion and to be honest I can't.

It is very hard losing a friend and a colleague, but something that I have had to deal with more than once.

I do not know what it is about the report that I do not believe it just does not ring true. Something isn't right.

There seems just no point in continuing this circular arguement. There really is no solution as everything here is personal opinion.

RIP Max, you will never be forgotten


Regards

Helieng

[Send Clowns]

The purpose of an AAIB is to learn from the mistakes of others, as we all know that we wuill not live long enough to make all them ourselves.
Few pilots are naturally cautious people; we are made so by training and by regulation.

A perfectly serviceable helicopter crashed killing both on board. It is very sad, and I know people who really do miss the pilot. But some pilot error must be at fault, as the aircraft hit the ground that all his skills should have had him trying to avoid. We can all take it as a warning, and remember Max by being more careful every time we fly that we don't let a situation deteriorate to the point we don't have an escape option that is within our capabilities. Many of us have, I am sure, flown when any significant deterioration in the weather fom forecast would have put us either outside our abilities or outside the privileges of our licences - I know I have been involved in such a flight, although not as Captain. Remember this warning of the possible results, even for those of us that got away with it that time.

[tommacklin]

From the posts on this thread, I see that Max was a popular and capable pilot. I sympathise with those who lost a friend.

I have found myself at a similar loss on several occasions and I too found it difficult to completely support the findings of the subsequent investigations and on reading the reports referred to in this thread, I think I know why.

I agree that the AAIB are professional and very thorough, and their remit is to advise where they see fault and to suggest corrective measures. They have a wealth of expertise and resources at hand, therefore, we should learn from what they say.

I have found, however, that where the cause of an accident is not supported by unquestionable evidence, there is a tendency towards phraseology that implies pilot error or inability. They may well be right, nonetheless, if they make assumptions which indicate pilot error in a case where pilot error is unproven, then surely they must also state that their findings are inconclusive based on the fact that they don't REALLY know EXACTLY what happened, they just believe that it happened that way.

As pilots, we seem to be guilty unless proven innocent, I think it should be the other way around.

TM

[thecontroller]

http://www.helicopterservice.com.au/photos/pprune/A109E%20cockpit.JPG

ok, assuming the cockpit looked like this, what exactly would be dead if there was a "screen failure"? just the electronic screens?

so that would leave an attitude indicator/airspeed indicator/altimeter/vsi all working?

how would most people cope with this in night imc? i would like to think any instrument rated pilot (i believe this pilot had an FAA IR) would have the sense to revert to the "old fashioned" scan of the instruments to keep straight and level?

im not criticizing this pilot or theorizing about this particular case, i'm just using this case as a starting point for a discussion

[moku]

Did anyone else see or read the rather large story in the Mail on Sunday about Max's parents and there views of the accident and AAIB?

[MightyGem]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/MightyGem/109.jpg
Looks like it's only got the two EFIS screens, so if they go, it leaves the pitot/statics and the standby AI/AH.
Presumably there is a standby compass somewhere as well.

[helicopter-redeye]

Based on this fit, if the EFIS is "out" then would there be a VOR/LOC in operation (assuming established on the localiser and on glideslope in night/ poor vis conditions at the time?

Are the pitot and static port instruments are clustered for easy scanning (in this fit out) ?

[OEI and Still Flying]

Helicopter-redeye

Once your EFIS screens go that’s it! (But it would want to be a pretty bad day at the office.)
You’re back to your static instruments and compass.
Each EFIS has the capability to enter the “COMPOSITE” mode and will automatically do so on failure. This provides a compressed version of the EADI and the EHSI on a single display.

[SilsoeSid]

This is beginning, IMHO, to sound like aviation version of the Diana, Princess of Wales case.

------------------------------------------------------
Todays Times;
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1849392,00.html


Air crash lawyer ‘in fear of his life’
Dipesh Gadher, Transport Correspondent



A MILLIONAIRE lawyer with close links to a jailed Russian oil tycoon received death threats before he was killed in a helicopter crash, an inquest is likely to hear this week.
A friend is expected to say in court that Stephen Curtis feared for his life and possibly the welfare of his wife and teenage daughter. Curtis, 45, a legal adviser to Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the jailed former head of the Yukos oil company, died when his Augusta 109 helicopter plunged into a field near Bournemouth airport, Dorset, in March last year. The pilot, Max Radford, was also killed.



An Air Accidents Investigation Branch report found no evidence of foul play and appeared to blame the crash on Radford, who had “probably become disorientated” in poor weather conditions.

Despite the findings, speculation about events leading up to Curtis’s death has been intense. Several media reports quoted unnamed associates of the lawyer saying that Curtis believed his life was at risk from individuals in Russia.

Radford’s parents say the investigation report is “a whitewash” and their son was “a very experienced pilot”.

A three-day inquest, involving a jury sitting before a coroner in Bournemouth, will begin tomorrow. It will hear evidence from up to 16 witnesses, including Curtis’s friend whose name has not been disclosed. Most of the witnesses are believed to be technical experts, including an explosives specialist. Curtis’s widow, Sarah, has provided a written statement.

Her late husband, who lived in a £5m castle in Portland, Dorset, took control of Yukos after Khodorkovsky fell out with President Vladimir Putin. The Russian oligarch was arrested on suspicion of tax evasion and fraud in 2003. Curtis had helped to set up a network of offshore accounts for Yukos, a former state-owned company.
----------------------------------------------






Perhaps a copy of this thread should be presented to the inquiry. Seems to tell a tale or two!

[The Nr Fairy]

SS:

No need to show the thread, just send a copy of the accident report.

Unusually, the AAIB looked for - and didn't find - evidence of "unauthorised interference".

[HeliEng]

Another report from Bournemouth local paper regarding the accident and the inquest.

Newspaper Report (http://www.thisisbournemouth.co.uk/dorset/bournemouth/news/BOURN_NEWS_NEWS4.html)

[SilsoeSid]

Nr Fairy,

I've seen the report as linked to previously. Hardly tells us a lot does it? http://www.aaib.gov.uk/cms_resources/dft_avsafety_pdf_027966.pdf


I was referring to the comments said about the pilot by his friends,all posted I'm sure with the best possible intent. However reading through this thread, I as an independant individual (as are the persons on the inquests jury), have been told quite a bit of the character of the pilot.

:hmm:
SS


I can hear the 'delete' buttons being pressed as I type!!!! :suspect:

[SilsoeSid]

Not bad folks.

At the time of the above post, there were 120 posts on this thread.
Now there are 104!!

:hmm:
SS

[Three Blades]

"Air crash deaths were accidental " Ruling by inquest jury

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/4399756.stm

[on21]

An article in todays Sunday Times.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-2179551_1,00.html


British lawyer hatched Putin smears


A BRITISH lawyer killed in a helicopter crash on the south coast of England was at the heart of a secret smear campaign against President Vladimir Putin and his leading associates, according to a confidential dossier.
Stephen Curtis, who died in 2004, was chairman of the security firm ISC Global (UK) which worked for a group of Russian tycoons plotting against Putin.



The dossier says the company was to “discredit [Putin] and those around him”. The targets were 11 senior Russians — from the defence minister to Roman Abramovich, owner of Chelsea football club.

ISC was also tasked with creating a luxury yacht with a crew capable of repelling an armed assault. The ship was to be a floating refuge for oligarchs wanted by Moscow on charges of fraud.

Curtis, 45, died in March 2004 alongside Max Radford, 34, the pilot, when their helicopter crashed near Bournemouth airport on the way to Dublin.

The wreckage yielded few clues and an inquest jury last November returned a verdict of accidental death. But a number of facts remained unexplained. It emerged that Curtis had received threats, felt he was under surveillance and had warned a relative shortly before: “If anything happens in the next two weeks then it won’t be an accident.”

Even the coroner conceded that the death had “all the ingredients of an espionage thriller”. The ISC connection was never investigated or put to the jury and the pilot’s parents do not accept the verdict. Their lawyer called for a public inquiry.

The dossier, seen by The Sunday Times, shows that ISC was funded by some of Russia’s wealthiest but most wanted men. They included Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Leonid Nevzlin, the owners of Group Menatep, the company behind Yukos, Russia’s second largest oil company.

Curtis, who already acted for the Gibraltar-based Menatep, was made chairman of ISC, which received £6m from the Russians in the first three years, financial documents show. His expertise was in setting up complex offshore structures to disperse Yukos’s vast profits. Two former Scotland Yard officers ran the security side.

ISC “targeted” leading figures in Russia after Putin sanctioned the arrest of Khodorkovsky on fraud and tax evasion charges in October 2003 as his jet refuelled in Siberia. Putin wanted to dismantle Yukos and take it back into the Kremlin’s hands.

Nevzlin, who is wanted for fraud offences and organising a contract killing, moved to Israel as a wave of Yukos executives fled to London. City lawyers were hired to fend off extradition requests from Moscow which the oligarchs say are politically inspired.

ISC carried out “monitoring” services to collate information on developments in the extradition battle. Ex-SAS soldiers acted as bodyguards to clients considered at risk of being kidnapped by Moscow.

The company also drew up plans to customise a £30m luxury yacht, the Constellation, to provide a safe haven for wanted executives, said ISC sources. It was to be defended against armed assault by a “Swat” team which would undergo “combat and kidnapping avoidance training”, according to the boat’s specification. Living quarters would be protected by bullet-proof glass and meeting rooms pumped with “white noise” to prevent bugging.

The specification reveals how some guests were to be entertained. It says: “Procedure for vetting, screening and searching Lady’s [sic] of the night onboard. Also a need to establish a trusted agency connection for such personnel.”

The campaign was authorised by Nevzlin who told ISC to do “the biggest investigation ever”, according to a company insider. ISC drafted a 12-page document marked “Secret”, which one of its partners presented to Nevzlin in Israel. The oligarch authorised £37m for the first phase of the operation, the source said.

The plan was to mount a “sensitive and delicate” worldwide operation, feeding false or compromising information to journalists and governments about Putin — referred to as “X” — and his associates.
The plotters wanted “[Putin] to be removed from power” but the more realistic objective was to force him to release Khodorkovsky from detention by March 2004 and cut Yukos’s £5 billion tax bill.



The document shows that besides Putin, Sergei Ivanov, the defence minister, was to be smeared with allegedly compromising photographs. Other targets included key figures in state-owned energy companies.

Abramovich had angered the Yukos oligarchs because Putin allowed him to keep his billions and travel freely within Russia. The document recommended an attempt to discredit him with allegations of “money laundering and bribery”. Abramovich’s spokesman said last week he was unaware of the plot.

Curtis’s crash happened within months of the smear campaign being hatched. Former ISC operatives say he had become “paranoid” in the last year of his life. He had become Menatep’s managing director responsible for assets worth £16 billion.

An ISC source said Curtis’s “paranoia” may have had some justification: “After Curtis’s death we swept the family home and located a small magnet used to secure a listening device,” he recalled. It would emerge at the inquest that Curtis had reported his clients’ transactions to the police “on many occasions”.

Putin was re-elected 11 days after the crash. ISC stopped trading last year and was renamed RISC under new ownership. Its former partners have declined to comment on operational matters. Menatep has been renamed GML and its current board has no involvement with ISC. A spokesman for GML, still controlled by Nevzlin and Khodorkovsky, declined to comment.

Gloria Radford, the pilot’s mother, still believes her son was killed as part of an assassination plot against Curtis. “I know there was more to the situation than was ever disclosed. There is something terribly wrong,” she said.


Insight: Michael Gillard and Jonathan Calvert

[SASless]

Like the Kenny Rogers song...."The Gambler".

"You have to know when to hold them, when to fold them.

Know when to walk away, when to run."

[Thomas coupling]

Truth is actually stranger than fiction it seems.........................:suspect:

[212man]

That Steven Curtis would have been under some sort of surveilance can hardly be in doubt, I would have thought. The notion that it is related in some way to some poor individual losing control, whilst trying to maintain visual flight, on a grotty night is somewhat tenuous to say the least. Plenty of people have done it in less glamorous circumstances, and no conspiracy theorists jump to their defence!:*

[Thomas coupling]

You don't think perhaps the passenger decided to end it all by attacking the pilot on finals?

Or

The last transmissions weren't a little bit....strange.....

No...of course not...what was I thinking about....

This is all conjecture of course, how could it be anything else ...I wasn't there.....

[Max Radford ExwifeCa]

Heli Guys, Thank you for all your Nice Words of Love for My exhusband Max Radford. First off I just found out 5 years later, He had called me close to his time of death. I was pregnant and he kept calling back, then he passed and I had baby! Maybe I didn't want to know....I always worried about him. And now my worst fears have come.....

Max was the Best Pilot, He alway told me it was the company's he worked for here in Ca that did not do regular maintanence on there helicopters.

I married Mattew after he discovered me in San Francisco, CA. I was disabled in a car accident after we married and that broke the camels back so yah say....and he moved on.
I worked for The US Gov on the V-22 Helicopter and there where trouble reports of these things wrong but yet people kept dieing in crashes our office would be floodded with calls. helicopters are all the same....take the information and fix it don't leave more people to die. I believe it was mechanical error . . . . since I know Max and from the reports he was demanding to come up, and he would make demands like that when he was severly angery and I'm sure if the engine failed that would have REALLY Made him ANgerY!
Please if anyone has anything to say that Max may have told them near his death I would like to know if he had some thoughts about me.

[email protected] Audrey Pulliam ~ I Love Always Max Radford!