British dad whose son died in Grand Canyon helicopter crash warns there may be 8,000 ‘flying bombs’ in US

Published

2 years ago

January 10, 2024

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A father, who is to receive a $100m (£78m) settlement after his son died in a helicopter crash, has told Sky News there could be around 8,000 “flying bombs” in the US due to the danger of fuel tanks that might rupture.

British tourist Jonathan Udall, 31, suffered burns to over 90% of his body after the aircraft burst into flames in the Grand Canyon.

He died after spending 12 days in hospital following the tragedy that occurred when the Airbus EC130 B4 came down shortly before sunset on 10 February 2018.

His newlywed wife Ellie Udall, 29, brothers Stuart and Jason Hill, 30 and 32, and Stuart’s 27-year-old girlfriend Becky Dobson, also died in the crash.

Mr Udall’s parents claimed in a wrongful death lawsuit that their son, originally from Southampton, could have survived if it was not for the post-crash fire – caused by the helicopter’s fuel tank that they claim was prone to rupturing.

Mr Udall’s father, Philip, said his son and daughter-in-law “were perfect, they had it all”.

“John was a very successful businessman in the financial world”, working as the southeast manager for Yorkshire Building Society and “he had a blossoming career,” said Mr Udall. Ellie also worked for the same company and “she was incredible”.

He said the family used to have lots of meals together but there was now a “huge hole where they used to sit”.

“There’s nobody in it. There will forever be two seats empty.”

Mr Udall now wants all helicopters in the US to be fitted with crash-resistant fuel systems.

He said that if this doesn’t happen, other people “are going to die” and “it could be your children next”.

The helicopter in which his son lost his life did not have such a system, and he said he had it on “good authority” that if it had been fitted with one, “they [John and Ellie] would have got out”.

“The system won’t completely prevent fire. What it does do is buy time to get out,” he added.

Philip Udall said: “There is a loophole in the law [in the US] that allows helicopters to fly without a crash-resistant fuel system – so basically it’s a flying bomb.”

“And that’s our lawyer’s words. It’s a plastic container about as good as a milk bottle, that you’ve got the fuel in. When the helicopter goes down it just fractures and the fuel is out. This has been going on since 1994.”

Mr Udall said he believes there are around 170 crashes that have happened which were considered to be survivable “and it’s all not survivable because of these fuel tanks”.

He said anyone thinking of getting into a helicopter should ask the following question: “Does this helicopter have a crash-resistant fuel system?”

He said “if the answer is no, I would think very carefully about whether I got into it or not”.

“The Grand Canyon is a rough place. There are mountains, valleys. It’s a very turbulent environment.”

The company which ran the tragic flight in which Jonathan and Ellie later died has since fitted all its aircraft with crash-resistant fuel systems.

What does the law say in America?

Mr Udall stated a law was introduced in the US in 1994 which said all helicopters should have such systems, except ones that were designed in the 1970s but were then modified.

“They didn’t need to have [these systems] so manufacturers took advantage of it, [it was] cheaper.”

“There could be something like 8,000 helicopters flying around looking for somewhere to explode.”

He also said the law was changed in recent years which ruled all newly-built helicopters have to have crash-resistant fuel systems.

“We are looking at what we can do because there are still people climbing into helicopters not aware of the fact that what they are sitting on, because the fuel tank is just behind your head,” Mr Udall warned.

Payout ‘means nothing to us’

The £78m payout he received over his son’s death “means nothing to us”, he added.

“What it means is we have a resource we can call on that we can use, that we can try and get the situation improved. That was the reason for doing it.”

He said he had already provided equipment to burns units and was getting involved with charities.

“The most important thing is to try to move the clock on so there are no flying bombs.”

Under the settlement approved by a US judge in Clark County, Nevada, on Friday, Philip and Marlene Udall, will receive $24.6m (£19.3m) from the helicopter operator, Papillon Airways, and $75.4m (£59.3m) from its French manufacturer, Airbus Helicopters SAS.

A 2021 report by the National Transportation Safety Board report in the US concluded that a probable cause for the helicopter crash was the pilot losing control due to tailwind conditions.

The pilot, Scott Booth, told police that the aircraft had encountered a “violent gust of wind” and began to spin.

He fractured his lower left leg, and passenger Jennifer Barham had a spinal fracture in the crash. They also suffered severe burns but survived.

Since then, both of Mr Booth’s legs have been amputated.

US

‘Catastrophic’ explosion at US nursing home

Published

29 mins ago

December 24, 2025

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'Catastrophic' explosion at US nursing home

Two people have died and others are missing after an explosion at a nursing home in the US.

Black smoke was seen rising from the nursing Home in Bristol Township, outside Philadelphia, just after 2pm local time on Tuesday after a suspected gas leak.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro confirmed two people had died and “some number of individuals” remain missing.

A rescue operation is under way to try to locate those trapped in the building.

Images of the scene showed parts of the front of the building had completely collapsed and most of the windows were shattered.

“It is a sad and tragic evening here in Bucks County,” Mr Shapiro said during a news conference.

“An explosion occurred just a few hours ago… we believe preliminarily that it was a gas leak, the explosion was really quite catastrophic.”

Bristol Township fire chief Kevin Dippolito said parts of the first floor of the building had collapsed into the basement of the building.

He said many people were pulled out of the building by emergency services, but “specialised equipment” has been brought in to search the debris for missing people.

“We are still in rescue mode,” he said, adding: “We have not transitioned into recovery mode.”

A local disaster emergency was declared by Bristol Township manager, Randee J Mazur, who said the explosion had caused “significant structural collapse” and there was risk of further collapse.

He said the declaration would remain in place for seven days.

An investigation to confirm the cause of the explosion is ongoing, but it occurred at the same time crews from the local gas company, PECO, said it had responded to reports of a gas odour.

‘Loud kaboom’

Willie Tye, who lives close to the home, said he was watching TV when he heard a “loud kaboom”.

He said he went to look and saw “fire everywhere” and people escaping the building.

The 174-bed nursing home, about 20 miles northeast of Philadelphia, is called Bristol Health & Rehab Centre but had been known until recently as Silver Lake Healthcare Centre.

The home’s owner, Saber Healthcare Group, said it was working with local emergency services.

US

What we learned from the latest release of Epstein files

Published

3 hours ago

December 24, 2025

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What we learned from the latest release of Epstein files

A trove of newly released Epstein files include emails that appear to involve Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, while another suggests Donald Trump travelled on the billionaire’s private jet “many more times than previously has been reported”.

The US Department of Justice released at least 11,000 more files on Tuesday.

It went on to claim that some of them “contain untrue and sensationalist claims” about President Trump.

Here are some of the latest news lines from this release of Epstein files. Being named in these papers does not suggest wrongdoing.

Who is ‘The Invisible Man’?

Among the documents released is an email sent to Ghislaine Maxwell that speaks about “the girls” being “completely shattered” at a Royal Family summer camp at Balmoral.

It is dated 16 August 2001 and sent by a person referred to only as “The Invisible Man”, but whom Sky News is reporting appears to be the former prince, Andrew.

We have come to that conclusion from reviewing the email address used, which is assigned to the Duke of York in Epstein’s contacts book and the chain of correspondence.

In the correspondence, “The Invisible Man” asks Maxwell: “How’s LA? Have you found me some new inappropriate friends?”

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has previously denied any allegations against him.

The Peru trip

Another email appears to show Maxwell arranging “two-legged sight seeing” for “The Invisible Man” during a trip to Peru.

She appears to forward to “The Invisible Man” part of a conversation between herself and another person.

The email says: “I just gave Andrew your telephone no. He is interested in seeing the Nazca lines. He can ride but it is not his favorite sport ie pass on the horses.”

“Some sight seeing some 2 legged sight seeing (read intelligent pretty fun and from good families) and he will be very happy. I know I can rely on you to show him a wonderful time and will only introduce him to friends that you can trust,” Maxwell said.

The context of the email is unclear and there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing.

Trump on Epstein’s jet?

The latest bunch of files also includes an email from an unidentified prosecutor dated 7 January, 2020, in which President Trump is mentioned.

The email accuses him of travelling on Epstein’s private jet “many more times than previously has been reported”.

It adds that President Trump “is listed as a passenger on at least eight flights between 1993 and 1996, including at least four flights on which Maxwell was also present”.

The email’s sender and receiver have been redacted. However, at the bottom of the email it says assistant US attorney, Southern District of New York. The name has also been redacted.

President Trump has denied any wrongdoing in relation to his relationship with Epstein, and being on any of Epstein’s flights does not indicate any wrongdoing.

Limousine driver report about Trump

One of the documents in the release shows a report made to the FBI that was recorded on 27 October 2020.

It includes an unverified claim by a limousine driver that he overheard the US president discussing “abusing some girl” in 1995.

The driver also mentions Trump said “Jeffrey” while on the phone during a journey to Dallas Fort Worth Airport in Texas.

A significant part of the statement, along with the driver’s identity, has been redacted.

The US justice department has said that some of the documents in the latest Epstein files release “contain untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election”.

“To be clear: the claims are unfounded and false, and if they had a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already,” it said.

Postcard mentions ‘our president’

Also among the documents is a postcard that claims to have been sent by Jeffrey Epstein, but has been refuted by the justice department.

In it, the sender tells the recipient: “Our president also shares our love of young, nubile girls.”

It’s not clear who “our president” refers to and the context of the postcard is also unclear.

The US justice department initially said it was “looking into the validity” of the postcard but later said on X that the “FBI has confirmed” the postcard is “FAKE”.

It cited reasons including a claim that the writing does not appear to match Epstein’s and another that the letter was postmarked three days after his death.

Row over unreleased documents

It is believed that many files relating to Epstein are yet to be made public.

There has been anger at the justice department’s slow release of the files, with politicians threatening to launch legal action against Attorney General Pam Bondi.

The deadline for the release of all the documents has passed.

“The DOJ needs to quit ⁠protecting the rich, powerful, and politically connected,” Republican congressman Thomas Massie said.

US

Trump ‘hated’ to see Bill Clinton photos in Epstein files

Published

1 day ago

December 23, 2025

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Trump 'hated' to see Bill Clinton photos in Epstein files

Donald Trump has said he “hated” to see photos of Bill Clinton in the newly released Epstein files.

The former US president was in numerous images that were released by the US Department of Justice among thousands of documents related to the late paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

In his first engagement in front of the media since the release of the latest files, Mr Trump was asked about the images of Mr Clinton.

“I think it’s terrible,” Mr Trump said, adding: “I like Bill Clinton… and I hate to see photos come out of him.

“I’ve always gotten along with Bill Clinton. I’ve been nice to him, he’s been nice to me. I hate to see photos come out of him, but this is what the Democrats, mostly Democrats and a couple of bad Republicans, are asking for.

“So they are giving photos of me to. Everybody was friendly with this guy [Epstein], either friendly or not friendly.

“He was all over Palm Beach and other places… and Bill Clinton was a friend of his, but everybody was.”

He added: “Bill Clinton’s a big boy. He can handle it, but you probably have pictures being exposed of other people that innocently met Jeffrey Epstein years ago.”

The US president claimed the release of the files “is a way of trying to deflect from the tremendous success that the Republican Party has”.

Clinton calls for release of ‘any remaining materials’

In a statement on Monday, Angel Urena, a spokesman for Mr Clinton, called for Mr Trump to “release any remaining materials referring to mentioning or containing a photograph of Bill Clinton”.

The spokesman said the materials released so far “makes it clear someone or something is being protected” but said Mr Clinton doesn’t need such protection.

“Refusal to do so will confirm the widespread suspicion the Department of Justice’s actions to date are not about transparency, but about insinuation – using selective releases to imply wrongdoing about individuals who have already been repeatedly cleared by the very same Department of Justice, over many years under presidents and attorney generals of both parties,” the spokesperson added.

The context around the photos, that were released hours before a legal deadline in the US following the passing of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, is unknown.

The same release only features one picture with Mr Trump’s name in it.

Mr Clinton has denied any wrongdoing in connection to Epstein and says he regrets meeting him.

Backlash over release of files

It comes as other Democrats and Republicans have grown angry over the length of time it is taking the US Department of Justice to release all files in the Epstein case.

Several victims of Epstein told Sky News that the incomplete release left them feeling shocked, outraged and disappointed.

Republican representative Thomas Massie and Democratic representative Ro Khanna said they are working together on an effort to secure the release of more files, and if necessary would seek contempt of Congress charges against Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer also introduced legislation that would instruct Majority Leader John
Thune, a Republican, to undertake “appropriate” legal steps to gain Congress access to all ‍the documents covered by
legislation that was passed by Congress and signed into law by Mr Trump.

It was not clear whether his effort might advance in the Senate when it returns on 5 January.