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Irish Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Student killed by out-of-control helicopter as oblivious best pal takes photos
A politician's son was tragically killed in a horrifying accident when a helicopter plummeted from the sky, striking him as he walked down the street. Isiah Otieno, the 23 year old son of a Kenyan minister, was a student when he was killed in this freak accident as a helicopter fell from the sky and hit him. Shockingly, his father, former Kenyan Public Service Minister Dalmas Otieno, learned about his son's death through an email. In 2008, Isiah was studying at the College of the Rockies in Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada. On May 13, he went to post a letter to his family in Nairobi. However, as he crossed the street, a Bell 206 helicopter conducting power line inspections plummeted from the sky, crashed into him, and burst into flames, according to Nairobi Leo. Eyewitnesses reported that the aircraft appeared to struggle in the air before spiralling into an explosive wreck on a quiet residential street, reports the Express. Tragically, several people reportedly tried to shout at Isiah to move, but he was wearing earphones and may not have heard the noise of the helicopter or the cries from those nearby. Pilot Edward Heeb, 57, and BC Hydro employees Dirk Rozenboom, 45, and Robert Lehmann, 37, also died in the crash, along with Isaiah. Earlier this year six people were killed in another Bell helicopter tragedy in New York City. Horrifyingly, one of the eyewitnesses to the tragedy in 2008, who took photos of it unfolding, was Isiah's best friend. One witness, Elmer Bautz, said: "There was a pedestrian walking on the street across from me and he was just about at the back alley and I don't think he even knew what hit him." The 23-year-old was on his way to post letters to his family (Image: -) A second witness added: "It didn't crash at a high speed. The pilot had been trying to control it, but the motor was out at that point and he fell the last 15 feet. Unfortunately, it hit a pedestrian on the sidewalk." Devastatingly, the tragic news reached Isiah's heartbroken father, Dalmas Otieno, through an email. Isaiah's friends used his email account to break the awful news to his dad. The devastating loss was subsequently confirmed by Canadian authorities. Isaiah's father had chatted to his son on the phone just an hour before he was tragically killed. The College of the Rockies organised a memorial service to remember Isaiah. The college's then-President and CEO, Nick Rubidge, described him as a kind, cheerful, and gentle young man who was a brilliant representative of his country. "He had a wonderful, gentle nature and was an excellent ambassador for his nation," Rubidge said. An investigation subsequently revealed the helicopter had suffered a sudden engine failure. In a final heroic effort the pilot aimed for the street, to avoid any homes but took down Isiah in the process. Following the inquest, a jury put forth eight recommendations to Transport Canada and the Transportation Safety Board. These encompassed more explicit regulations for helicopter operators, a mandate for dual-engine aircraft when flying over cities, and compulsory data trackers on all commercial helicopters. After his son's tragic death, Dalmas Otieno travelled to Cranbrook, accompanied by his wife and the Kenyan High Commissioner to Canada, demanding compensation for the tragedy. The former Kenyan Public Service Minister expressed no amount of compensation could replace his son. The engine from the helicopter was meticulously disassembled and examined by the Transportation Safety Board. Senior investigator Damien Lawson admitted that determining a cause for the accident would be a challenging task. TSB spokesman Bill Yearwood stated that investigators were fortunate that despite the fire which engulfed the helicopter post-crash, the engine remained largely intact. Given the absence of a flight data recorder on the helicopter, information derived from the engine was vital and confirmed that the crash had been caused by engine failure.
Daily Record
6 days ago
- Daily Record
Horrifying way dad discovered son had been killed in helicopter horror
Isiah Otieno was just 23 and studying in Canada when he was killed in the freak accident as a helicopter hurtled out of the sky and knocked him to his death In a shocking tragedy, the son of a politician was killed instantly when a helicopter plummeted from the sky and struck him as he walked down the street. Isiah Otieno, the 23 year old son of a Kenyan political minister, was a student when he met his untimely death in the freak accident as a helicopter spiralled out of control and crashed into him. His father, Dalmas Otieno, who served as Kenya's Public Service Minister, devastatingly learned about his son's tragic demise through an email. In 2008, Isiah was studying at the College of the Rockies in Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada. On May 13, he had gone to post a letter to his family back home in Nairobi. Tragically, while crossing the street, a Bell 206 helicopter conducting power line inspections suddenly fell from the sky, crashing into him before erupting into flames, as reported by Nairobi Leo. Eyewitnesses recounted that the aircraft seemed to struggle mid-air before spiralling into a fiery wreckage on a quiet residential street, reports the Express. Earlier this year, in another Bell helicopter tragedy, six people were killed in New York. Heartbreakingly, several bystanders reportedly tried to warn Isiah, shouting at him to move away. However, he was wearing earphones and may not have heard either the sound of the descending helicopter or the frantic warnings from those nearby. The crash also claimed the lives of pilot Edward Heeb, 57, and BC Hydro employees Dirk Rozenboom, 45, and Robert Lehmann, 37, along with Isaiah. Adding to the horror of the incident, one of the eyewitnesses, who captured photos of the unfolding tragedy, was Isiah's best friend. One witness, Elmer Bautz, recounted the tragic incident: "There was a pedestrian walking on the street across from me and he was just about at the back alley and I don't think he even knew what hit him." Another witness shared their account, saying: "It didn't crash at a high speed. The pilot had been trying to control it, but the motor was out at that point and he fell the last 15 feet. Unfortunately, it hit a pedestrian on the sidewalk." In a heart-wrenching turn of events, Isiah's father, Dalmas Otieno, received the dreadful news through an email. Friends of Isaiah used his email account to break the news to his dad. Canadian authorities later confirmed the tragic loss. Dalmas had spoken to his son over the phone merely an hour before the fatal accident. The College of the Rockies paid tribute to Isaiah with a memorial service. Nick Rubidge, who was the President and CEO at the time, spoke highly of Isaiah, calling him a kind, cheerful, and gentle young man, and an outstanding representative of his country. "He had a wonderful, gentle nature and was an excellent ambassador for his nation," Rubidge remarked. Subsequent investigations into the accident disclosed that the helicopter had experienced a catastrophic engine failure. In a valiant final act, the pilot steered towards the street in an attempt to avoid hitting any houses, tragically striking Isiah in the process. After the inquest, a jury put forward eight recommendations to Transport Canada and the Transportation Safety Board. These encompassed more explicit regulations for helicopter operators, a stipulation for dual-engine aircraft when flying over cities, and compulsory data trackers on all commercial helicopters. In the wake of his son's tragic death, Dalmas Otieno travelled to Cranbrook, accompanied by his wife and the Kenyan High Commissioner to Canada, demanding compensation for the tragedy. The former Kenyan Public Service Minister expressed that while no amount of compensation could replace his son, he hopes an investigation can be concluded swiftly. The engine from the helicopter was meticulously disassembled and examined by the Transportation Safety Board. Senior investigator Damien Lawson acknowledged that determining a cause for the accident would be difficult. TSB spokesman Bill Yearwood stated that investigators were fortunate that despite the fire which engulfed the helicopter post-crash, the engine remained largely intact. Given the absence of a flight data recorder on the helicopter, information derived from the engine was vital and confirmed the crash had been caused by engine failure.
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Student killed in freak helicopter horror as pal snapped pictures of tragedy
Isiah Otieno, who was the son of a Kenyan minister, was 23 and a student when he was instantly killed in the horror accident in Canada. His dad found out about his death via email In a horrifying incident, a politician's son was killed instantly when a helicopter plummeted from the sky and struck him as he walked down the street. Isiah Otieno, the 23-year-old son of a Kenyan minister, was tragically killed in the freak accident. His father, Dalmas Otieno, the former Kenyan Public Service Minister, heartbreakingly discovered the news of his son's death in an email. Back in 2008, Isiah was studying at the College of the Rockies in Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada. On May 13, he set out to post a letter to his family in Nairobi. As he crossed the street, a Bell 206 helicopter conducting power line inspections suddenly fell from the sky, crashed into him, and erupted into flames, reports Nairobi Leo. Eyewitnesses recounted how the aircraft seemed to struggle mid-air before spiralling into a fiery wreckage on a quiet residential street, reports the Express. Tragically, several bystanders reportedly tried to warn Isiah, shouting for him to move. However, he was wearing earphones and may not have heard the helicopter's noise or the frantic calls from those nearby. The crash also claimed the lives of pilot Edward Heeb, 57, and BC Hydro employees Dirk Rozenboom, 45, and Robert Lehmann, 37. Earlier this year another Bell helicopter crashed near Pier 40 in New York City, killing six people. Chillingly, one of the eyewitnesses who captured the unfolding tragedy was Isiah's best friend, who was taking photos of the tragedy as it happened. One onlooker, Elmer Bautz, said: "There was a pedestrian walking on the street across from me and he was just about at the back alley and I don't think he even knew what hit him." Another witness said: "It didn't crash at a high speed. The pilot had been trying to control it, but the motor was out at that point and he fell the last 15 feet. Unfortunately, it hit a pedestrian on the sidewalk." In a tragic turn of events, Isiah's heartbroken father, Dalmas Otieno, received the dreadful news via email. Isaiah's friends used his own email account to break the news to his dad, with the grim details later confirmed by Canadian officials. Dalmas had just spoken to his son over the phone barely an hour before the fatal incident. The College of the Rockies paid tribute to Isaiah with a memorial service. Nick Rubidge, who was the President and CEO at the time, remembered him as a kind-hearted, cheerful, and gentle lad, who proudly represented his homeland. "He had a wonderful, gentle nature and was an excellent ambassador for his nation," Rubidge remarked. Subsequent investigations disclosed the helicopter had encountered a catastrophic engine failure. In a valiant last act, the pilot steered towards the street to avoid hitting any houses, tragically striking Isiah in the process. In the aftermath of the inquest, a jury put forward eight recommendations to Transport Canada and the Transportation Safety Board. These encompassed more explicit regulations for helicopter operators, a mandate for dual-engine aircraft when flying over urban areas, and compulsory data trackers on all commercial helicopters. Following the tragic loss of his son, Dalmas Otieno travelled to Cranbrook, accompanied by his wife and the Kenyan High Commissioner to Canada, demanding compensation for the tragedy. The former Kenyan Public Service Minister expressed that while no sum could replace his son, he hopes for a swift conclusion to the investigation. The engine from the ill-fated helicopter was meticulously disassembled and examined by the Transportation Safety Board. Senior investigator Damien Lawson acknowledged that pinpointing the cause of the accident would be a formidable task. TSB spokesperson Bill Yearwood stated that investigators were fortunate that despite the blaze that consumed the helicopter post-crash, the engine remained largely intact. Given the absence of a flight data recorder on the helicopter, any information derived from the engine was vital and confirmed engine failure had caused the crash.
