Industry News
The helicopter crash from Monday, January 22, 2024, in British Columbia has claimed a fourth victim, as one of the four injured succumbed to his injuries. The fourth victim was identified as 35-year-old Lewis Ainsworth from New Zealand. Ainsworth was an experienced heli-ski guide and President of the New Zealand Mountain Guides Association and accredited by the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations. Ainsworth is survived by his partner, his 10-year-old daughter, and his parents. In a statement, Ainsworth’s family said they were heartbroken by his death. The family thanked those who had been involved in the search and rescue operation and Ainsworth’s medical care over the past week.
The identity of two of the other victims has come to light as well. Initially three people on board the helicopter were confirmed as dead. One of the initial deceased was the helicopter pilot, who remains unnamed but has been confirmed to be a local Canadian man. The two other deceased hail from Italy, 35-year-old Andreas Widman from South Tyrol, son of Heinrich Widmann, founder of TEXmarket, a manufacturer of sports clothing, and 29-year-old Heiner Oberrauch, son of Georg Oberrauch, founder of the sports goods shops Sportler Group.
The bodies of the three deceased had to initially remain at the site, as poor weather hampered access to the crash site. The bodies were finally recovered on Sunday, Januar 28, 2024, as continued bad weather and poor visibility had hampered efforts to retrieve the deceased. John Forrest, the CEO of the heli-ski company linked to the helicopter crash, even called for the Royal Canadian Air Force to assist with the recovery of the bodies from the mountain in Northern British Columbia, but the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said body recovery fell outside of the military’s jurisdiction.
The four injured people were initially taken to Mills Memorial Hospital in Terrace, but subsequently moved to other hospitals in British Columbia for higher levels of care. Two of the injured people were reported to be in critical condition while two were considered in serious condition.
Amongst the injured are Heiner’s brother, Jakob Oberrauch, CEO of the Sportler Group, and Johannes Peer, brother-in-law of the two Oberrauch brothers and CFO of Sportler Group. A friend, 35-year-old Emilio Zierock, from Foradori Winery, is the third surviving injured passenger. Their other friends were in a separate helicopter and were unharmed.
There were three helicopters in total in the group on January 22, 2024. One of the guests radioed in around 4 p.m. that a crash had occurred. As of yet it remains unclear what the cause of the deadly crash in British Columbia was. The families of the deceased Italians are said to have traveled to Canada.
We would like to extend our condolences to the families and friends of the victims and keep those injured in our thoughts and prayers.
