Widow Of Helicopter Crash Sues Flight Companies

BY MARCUS K. GARNE

ATLANTA — The widow of a Buckhead technology executive killed in a helicopter crash earlier this month is suing the company that owned and operated the aircraft.

Stephy Ogilvie is claiming negligence in her wrongful death lawsuit against Atlanta Helicopters, LLC., North Atlanta Executive Air, and the estate of the pilot Alister Periera, who died in the Sept. 15 crash along with her husband Charles Ogilvie and Buckhead landscape architect Carson McElheney.

The litigation says it “seeks recovery of all damages available for the full value of the life of Charles Ogilvie … had he lived.”

Gary C. Robb, the Kansas City, MO., aviation accident attorney who filed the lawsuit last week in Fulton County on Ogilvie’s behalf, said Pereira never should have been flying the helicopter.

“In my 40 years, I’ve seen many experienced pilots, unfortunately, succumb to these weather conditions, resulting in a fatal helicopter crash,” Robb told Patch. “We believe that these three people died b/c of weather and that pilot’s decision to fly into that weather.”

Representatives from the helicopter companies had not responded to email requests for comment at the time of publication of this article.

The Robinson R66 was “flying really low” in the midst of scattered storms when it crashed on the afternoon of Sept. 15, near Monticello in Jasper County near the Oconee National Forest, authorities investigating the incident said.

Robb said he believes the pilot was trying to avoid the bad weather.

“It’s very clear that this pilot was actually performing a dangerous zig-zag maneuver between thunderstorms,” he said. “It’s like you’re driving on the wrong side of the highway. The tactic is to avoid the cars that are oncoming. But really you shouldn’t be there.”