Inquest into Jonathan Udall after Grand Canyon helicopter crash

The Airbus EC130 B4 crashed at the Grand Canyon shortly before sunset on February 10 in 2018.

An inquest on November 17 heard it did not have a crash-resistant fuel system fitted, meaning the vehicle was engulfed in flames when the tank was penetrated.

A probable cause of a helicopter crash in the Grand Canyon has been identified Credit: PA

Jonathan Udall, 31, who attended Wildern School and whose family lives in Hedge End, died in a Las Vegas hospital 12 days after the incident.

His wife, Ellie (or Eleanor) Milward, 29, with whom he was on honeymoon at the time, died three days later. Post mortems showed that both died of the same cause: complications of thermal injuries.

Now Penelope Schofield, senior coroner for West Sussex, will write a Regulation 28 to the Civil Aviation Authority.

Although she can have no influence on US authorities, she demands that all UK helicopters are fitted with crash-resistant fuel systems.

Coroner Penelope Schofield. Photo: Terry Applin

Jonathan’s parents said in a statement: “As a family, we had just celebrated his marriage to Ellie, which was a truly joyful occasion.

“We had a wonderful family Christmas, too, and had high hopes for what 2018 would bring us. But our world came crashing down around us when we lost our wonderful son.

“Jonathan was a compassionate, kind and caring young man who had his whole life ahead of him. He had the ability to light up a room with his humour.

“We will hold on tightly to the memories we have of watching Jonathan develop into the amazing young man that he became.”

Jon Udall and Ellie Milward at their wedding

When the aircraft crashed, a group rushed to help, including Royal Australian Air Force trainees who were on a break.

One of them, Joel Scott Trembath, said in a statement that “Jon and Ellie were staring into the distance, and in shock”. Both were sat on a rock, and had visibly suffered burns.

The coroner’s court heard from Mark Jarvis, an inspector for the Air Accident Investigation Branch.

He had worked with the USA equivalent of his organisation, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and said there was “no evidence of mechanical anomalies” on the aircraft, but that winds had been reaching over 15 knots.

The cause of the crash was given as “loss of tail rota effectiveness”, which saw the aircraft decelerate whilst descending to land, spin 720 degrees, and eventually hit the canyon. Passengers were not taken to hospital until six hours after the crash due to the position of the fuselage, and it even took first responders 40 minutes to get to them in a helicopter.

Ms Schofield concluded that the Udalls died as the result of an accident.

Images of Ellie Milward and with her husband Jonathan Udall - A fourth British tourist has died following a helicopter crash in the Grand Canyon 12 days ago while on his honeymoon..Jonathan Udall, who is in his 30s and from Brighton, has been in

Ellie’s family thanked the efforts of those who rushed into the canyon to try and save the passengers: “We take comfort in the bravery and selflessness of those who went into the canyon, and the efforts of the hospital and emergency service staff, to save our darling girl.”

The Udalls’ friends Stuart and Jason Hill, who were brothers, were also killed in the tragedy, along with Stuart’s 27-year-old girlfriend Becky Dobson.

The group were on holiday in the US to celebrate Stuart’s 30th birthday and the Udalls as newlyweds with a trip to Las Vegas.

Jason’s girlfriend Jennifer Dorricott survived the crash but suffered life-changing injuries. Pilot Scott Booth also survived, but had both of his legs amputated.