Aviation

Incredible picture captures moment woman walks away from wreckage of Grand Canyon helicopter crash

According to Daily Mail source : A veterinary receptionist, her boyfriend and his brother were killed during a ‘trip of a lifetime’ when the helicopter they were in crashed and exploded into a fireball during a sightseeing tour of the Grand Canyon.

Becky Dobson, 27, her boyfriend Stuart Hill, 30, and his older brother Jason, 32, all died while Jason’s girlfriend Jennifer Barham, 39, and newlyweds Ellie Milward, 29, and Jonathan Udall, 32 – who were on their honeymoon – are in a critical condition in hospital.

The six friends had spent a year saving for the trip to America to celebrate Stuart’s 30th birthday when their chopper crashed during a 50mph storm on the Hualapai Nation reservation near the Grand Canyon’s West Rim. Pilot Scott Booth, 42, was airlifted to hospital where he remains in a critical condition.

Traumatised witnesses watched in horror as the chopper plummeted 600ft into the rocky canyon and burst into flames before survivors were seen staggering out of the inferno, with one woman heard screaming ‘Jason’.

It is unclear whether the survivor pictured fleeing the wreckage is Ms Barham or Ms Milward.

Stuart and Jason’s grief-stricken father, Reverend David Hill, said a ‘light has truly gone out’ but took comfort in the ‘incredibly close’ brothers dying together.

He choked back tears as described his sons, Stuart, a Mercedes car salesman, and Jason, a solicitor, as ‘wonderful boys’ who were ‘inseparable’.

Becky’s parents received the tragic news as they were enjoying a week-long holiday in Turkey and were flying back to the UK this morning. Her father said she was ‘always happy’ and looking forward to the trip.

The Eurocopter EC130 crashed in ‘unknown circumstances’ at around 5.30pm on Saturday, 60 miles northwest of Peach Springs, Arizona.

The tragedy occurred just three months after Ellie and Jonathan got married in front of family and friends, including Becky and Stuart.

Mr Hill, 32, was a private equity solicitor for national law firm Shoosmiths, after joining as a trainee and had worked his way up to senior associate with the company.

Shoosmiths chief executive Claire Rowe said they were ‘saddened’ by the tragic passing of a ‘respected’ and ‘loved’ member of their firm.

She said: ‘He was hardworking, full of energy and enjoyable to work with, and we are greatly saddened by the news of his death and that of his brother Stuart. Our immediate thoughts are with their family at this very difficult and tragic time.’

Stuart and Jason’s cousin, Holly Campbell, confirmed that Jason was with girlfriend Jennifer when the crash took place

She said: ‘This is a devastating time for our family.

‘We have spoken to my uncle and we all just trying to come to terms with what has happened.

‘I saw them both at my son’s christening in December. They were kind, caring and loved by all who knew and met them.’

Animal lover Becky Dobson described herself as an ‘outgoing person, always up for having fun.’

Becky worked as a receptionist at the Vets4Pets practice in Worthing, West Sussex, and had dreams of becoming a veterinary nurse.

Ms Dobson’s father Peter Dobson said his daughter was ‘full of life and looking forward to going to Vegas for her boyfriend’s 30th birthday to celebrate’.

He added: ‘She was a lovely girl. Everyone liked her, she liked her travelling – she went to Australia for a year to travel round.’

‘She was always happy. They just went for a long weekend; a four-night break. They were staying in Vegas, they had been looking forward to it for a long time.

‘They [Stuart and Becky] have known each other quite a while, they both live in Worthing.

‘They were really happy together, they were always going out and doing things, just enjoyed being with each other. The whole thing is just terrible.’

One witness told ABC News a young woman ‘collapsed to the ground and began screaming the name Jason’.

Hualapai Nation Police Chief Francis Bradley Sr. said the survivors were taken to a Las Vegas hospital at 2am on Sunday, some nine hours after the crash.

The four survivors are being treated as level one trauma patients, meaning they have critical, life-threatening injuries.

Aviation

Airbus Enhances A350 Cabin with 10-Abreast Seating

Airbus has announced a new partnership with Jiatai Aircraft Equipment, a Chinese aircraft seating manufacturer, to supply upgraded economy-class seats for the A350 widebody series.

This collaboration, unveiled at the 2024 Airshow China, focuses on developing a newly designed economy seat tailored for the A350‘s New Production Standard (NPS) cabin.

One of the key features of the NPS cabin is the ability to accommodate 17-inch wide economy seats, compared to the previous 16.5-inch wide seats that airlines were limited to in the A350’s earlier configurations.

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This change is made possible by the expanded space in the NPS cabin, which is 35 inches longer and 4 inches wider than the previous version. This extra space is achieved by slightly moving the cockpit wall forward and shifting the rear pressure bulkhead back by one frame.

The wider cabin allows airlines to add up to 30 extra economy seats without compromising comfort. For airlines opting for a 3-4-3 seating layout, the 17-inch wide seats are an excellent choice for a more comfortable passenger experience. However, some airlines, such as Iberia, may choose to retain a 9-abreast layout with wider seats for added comfort.

The NPS cabin also offers enhanced flexibility for airline operators. One major advantage is the ability to easily switch between a 9-abreast and 10-abreast seating configuration without requiring significant downtime for aircraft reconfiguration. Airlines can use the same seat rails, tracks, and IFE interfaces, making the transition smoother and quicker.

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In addition, the design of the floor attachments and air-conditioning systems has been optimized for 10-abreast seating, meaning airlines can upgrade their cabins without needing to make substantial modifications to the aircraft’s structure.

Though it’s still unclear when Jiatai’s economy-class seats will be officially added to the A350’s Buyer Furnished Equipment (BFE) catalogue, the collaboration marks a significant step toward enhancing the A350’s cabin offerings.

With this partnership, Airbus is providing more seating options for airlines, ensuring that they can meet diverse customer needs while improving overall operational efficiency.