New Zealand Newlyweds and Photographer File Helicopter Crash Lawsuit Against Robinson

The passengers sustained severe injuries when the R44 helicopter they were riding in suddenly fell from the sky moments after a wedding ceremony in New Zealand.

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, June 9, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- A newly married couple and photographer have filed a personal injury lawsuit against Robinson Helicopter Company and several aircraft parts manufacturers. They all sustained severe injuries when the R44 helicopter they were riding in suddenly fell from the sky moments after a wedding ceremony in New Zealand.

Aviation attorneys Timothy A. Loranger and Ari S. Friedman of the Los Angeles law firm Wisner Baum filed the complaint on June 8, 2023 (case no. 23TRCV01792) in Los Angeles County Superior Court on behalf of plaintiffs Mahdi A. M. Zougub, Fay Y. H. Elhanafy, Rachel Jordan, and Eric Jordan. The lawsuit seeks damages against defendants Robinson Helicopter Co., Avco Corporation/Lycoming Engines, Weldon Pump, LLC, and Parker Hannifin Corporation.

The Plaintiffs

Mahdi Zougub and Fay Elhanafy had just exchanged vows in their wedding ceremony and were flying to a photoshoot with well-known photographer Rachel Jordan when the helicopter crashed. The victims, along with Jordan’s husband, Eric, filed the complaint. All are residents of New Zealand.

The Defendants

The helicopter that crashed was a Robinson R44 II model helicopter containing a Lycoming IO-540 model engine, a Parker Hannifin pressure relief valve, and a Weldon Pump auxiliary fuel pump. Robinson is a California corporation based in Torrance, Avco (Lycoming is an unincorporated operating division of Avco) is a Delaware corporation headquartered in Texas, and both Weldon Pump and Parker Hannifin are Ohio corporations.

Allegations in Robinson Helicopter Crash Lawsuit

On the afternoon of June 12, 2021, a Robinson R44 II model helicopter (Registration No. ZK-HVX) departed from Terrace Downs Resort, Coleridge Road, Selwyn District, near Christchurch, New Zealand. The purpose of the flight was to transport newlyweds Mahdi Zougub and Fay Elhanafy along with their photographer, Rachel Jordan, to their wedding reception and to take wedding photos.

Not long into the flight, the R44 suffered a loss of engine power suddenly and without warning. The helicopter entered a rapid descent from a low altitude and landed hard on its skids near the ninth hole of the golf course at Terrace Downs Resort. The helicopter suffered serious damage, including separation of the tail boom and tailor rotor system.

According to the complaint, the newlyweds each suffered serious and permanent physical and psychological injuries as well as a loss of consortium. Mrs. Jordan suffered serious and permanent physical and psychological injuries, and her husband suffered a loss of consortium. The injuries suffered from the crash have essentially put an end to Rachel’s very successful career as a top professional wedding photographer in Northland New Zealand. Her and her husband’s company, Two Little Starfish, had become a household name in the New Zealand wedding industry.

Government crash data from the National Transportation Safety Board shows that Robinson helicopters have been involved in more than 1,650 incidents and accidents since 1983. Of those, 411 were fatal. The R44, which is Robinson’s most popular model, has been involved in over 550 incidents and accidents (187 fatal) over the same time period.

“Unfortunately, protecting profit margins is often more important to manufacturers than protecting the people that fly their aircraft,” says Timothy A. Loranger, who represents the plaintiffs in this case. “Robinson helicopters must do more to identify and resolve safety issues that all too often injure or take the lives of pilots and passengers..”

The lawsuit includes the following causes of actions against all defendants:

• Strict Product Liability
• Breach of Warranties
• Negligence

About Wisner Baum

The helicopter crash lawyers at Wisner Baum (formerly Baum Hedlund) have a proven track record of success in litigation against Robinson Helicopter Company. The firm has investigated and handled 20 crashes involving R22s, R44s or R66s, representing 34 passengers or pilots, in wrongful death or personal injury claims involving Robinson helicopters.

Since the early 1980s the firm has handled over 800 different aviation accidents or incidents cases. More than 80 of those involved helicopters.

Across all areas of practice, Wisner Baum has won over $4 billion in verdicts and settlements—half a billion of which involved aviation cases.


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Robin McCall
Wisner Baum LLP
+1 310-207-3233
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Attorney Tim Loranger on Robinson helicopter safety