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Authorities Identify Grand Canyon Helicopter Crash Victims

Teddy Fujimoto

Authorities have identified three people killed in a helicopter crash in the Grand Canyon over the weekend. KNAU’s Ryan Heinsius reports, the group of six British tourists took off from Las Vegas for a sightseeing flight Saturday.

Stuart Hill was taking the trip for his 30th birthday. He was killed along with his girlfriend Becky Dobson and his brother Jason Hill. The pilot and three other British tourists remain in critical condition at a Las Vegas hospital with severe burns, broken bones and other injuries.

Credit Teddy Fujimoto
Rescuers flew four survivors—three passengers and the pilot—to University Medical Center in Las Vegas where they remain in critical condition.

Saturday evening’s crash occurred on the Hualapai Indian reservation in the rugged terrain of the Grand Canyon’s West Rim, outside of the national park.

The cause is still unknown and the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating. The flight company, Papillion Grand Canyon Helicopters, says it’s cooperating with authorities.

Ryan Heinsius joined KNAU's newsroom as an executive producer in 2013 and became news director and managing editor in 2024. As a reporter, he has covered a broad range of stories from local, state and tribal politics to education, economy, energy and public lands issues, and frequently interviews internationally known and regional musicians. Ryan is an Edward R. Murrow Award winner and a Public Media Journalists Association Award winner, and a frequent contributor to NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered and national newscast.
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