American ski guide Adam George, 45, has been identified as one of the three individuals killed in a tragic helicopter crash in the Swiss Alps.
George was aboard an Air Glaciers B3 helicopter when it crashed into the north slope of the Petit Combin mountain, triggering an avalanche before tumbling down the mountainside on Tuesday.
The experienced ski guide from New Hampshire is survived by his wife of 17 years, Caroline George, and their daughter, Olivia.
George’s wife, who is also a mountain guide, shared a heartbreaking post after the crash: ‘Don’t be gone!!!! Don’t be gone, Adam. I need those arms to hold me up,’ she wrote.
The disaster also claimed the lives of pilot Jerome Lovey and skier James Goff, while three other passengers – Guy Hutchings, 23, Guy’s brother Ted, 18, and Edward Courage – survived.
American ski guide Adam George, 45, has been identified as one of the three individuals killed in a tragic helicopter crash in the Swiss Alps
The experienced ski guide from New Hampshire is survived by his wife of 17 years, Caroline George, and their daughter, Olivia
Swiss authorities said the helicopter slid some 2620ft down the side of the mountain. A rescue helicopters is pictured standing on the mountain landing site of the Petit Combin summit in Valais, Switzerland on Tuesday
George’s social media posts show the experienced ski guide had scaled difficult cliff faces such as El Capitan and the north face of the Eiger.
Swiss authorities said the helicopter slid some 2620ft down the side of the mountain.
Dramatic footage from the bottom of the slope showed an imprint near the summit where the helicopter crashed and the traces of the avalanche.
A skier who arrived at the summit shortly after was reported to have said: ‘We landed after them on the south side of Le Petit Combin and saw the avalanche. It was horrific.’
‘We couldn’t make out the helicopter, it was consumed in the avalanche. We heard of the crash over the radio. We were advised to get safely off the mountain.’
Courage, in his seventies, bravely pushed the British brothers Guy and Ted out of the aircraft before the trio miraculously survived the horrific crash.
Guy and Ted’s parents Richard and Maeve, who live in Cobham, Surrey, said in a statement:’ Our thoughts are with the families of James, Adam and the pilot for their appalling losses.
‘Ted was released from hospital today on crutches. Guy is still in hospital. No operations currently required but severely beaten up and bed-bound.’
George’s wife, who is also a mountain guide, shared a heartbreaking post after the crash: ‘Don’t be gone!!!! Don’t be gone, Adam. I need those arms to hold me up’
Guy Hutchings(pictured), 23, was in the cabin along with brother Ted, 18, and Edward Courage, of the Courage brewing family, when disaster struck
Courage, in his seventies, bravely pushed the British brothers Guy and Ted out of the aircraft before the trio miraculously survived the horrific crash
Pictures on Guy’s social media show him skiing regularly in Verbier and on LinkedIn he is listed as working for Alpine F1 racing team as a junior engineer at Enstone, near Leicester.
He went to Epsom College before completing a degree in product design and engineering at the University of Nottingham last summer.
Valais regional police said in a statement:’ Having reached the summit of a mountain culminating at 3,668 metres above sea level, for a reason that the investigation will have to determine, the aircraft slid down the northern slope.’
A picture in a Swiss newspaper shows a divot in the mountain in the shape of a helicopter and then slide marks downwards and locals say the crash site is visible from Verbier.
Courage, is undergoing surgery in the hospital at nearby Sion for numerous broken bones, it has been reported.
He is a prominent member of Verbier’s English-speaking community, having owned a chalet in the town for more than 40 years, and is part of the English-speaking Church of Verbier Association.
Michael Stannard, a member of the ESC, told :’ I’ve known Edward and his wife for a very long time and our thoughts are with them and everyone else involved.
‘It’s a tragedy that has hit the community hard, it’s very upsetting and I’m sure our group will be trying to arrange some sort of help or assistance in whatever way we can.
‘I’ve been in touch with Edward’s wife and offered her help and support and she has kindly acknowledged that and all in the English community in Verbier wish him well.
‘I last saw him on Easter Sunday as he is also on the committee here and we had a chat and the accident happened a couple of days later – it’s incredible really when you think about it.
‘Edward really is a dear friend and he is much loved by all of us, he’s a key member of the community here and although he travels a lot he does try and spend as much time as he can here in Verbier.
‘When I heard that he had pushed the two boys out and saved their lives it didn’t surprise me at all as it sounds just the sort of thing Edward would do.
‘He’s a very selfless man and absolutely delightful and we all just wish him the best in these terrible circumstances.’
Courage (pictured) of the Courage Brewing family, is believed to have saved the lives of brothers Teddy and Guy Hitchens by pushing them out of the aircraft as it slid off of Petit Combin
Local paper Valais Messenger suggested the pilot, who had been with the company for two years, may have been hit by bad weather.
Speaking to an experienced pilot, who asked not to named, they quoted him as saying:’ Landing in high mountains is never easy.
‘The altitude, that robs the engine of power and the wind, comes up suddenly and in gusts.
‘It is precisely the wind that makes landing at the Petit Combin an extremely demanding task from a flying point of view.
‘It lies at an altitude of more than 3600 meters above sea level. At the top, it is ”more or less” flat, according to the pilot.
Seven helicopters were sent to the crash site as part of the rescue effort and an investigation has been opened by the Swiss Federal Prosecutor’s Office.
The Petit Combin area is popular with helicopter skiers and five ridges extend from the summit’s 300-metre-long and 200-metre-wide firm plateau. T
While Air-Glaciers advertises on its homepage with the words ‘a paradise for free riders.’