Czech billionaire Petr Kellner died in a heli-skiing crash in Alaska in 2021. A lawsuit was recently filed on his family's behalf, alleging negligence and seeking punitive and other damages. 

Kellner was the richest man in the Czech Republic at the time of his death. He was killed along with five other people in the Chugach Mountains. This was the deadliest heli-skiing aviation accident in North America.

The lawsuit, filed in Alaska state court, names Soloy Helicopters, Triumvirate LLC (which owns and operates Tordrillo Mountain Lodge), and Third Edge Alaska LLC (which was doing business as a heli-ski guide service but administratively dissolved last year) as defendants. 

The lawsuit alleges that the companies should have known about the crash immediately and notified authorities but failed to monitor the location of the helicopter and maintain contact with the pilot and guide.

Heli-skiing lawsuit

 Heli-skiing is an off-the-trail downhill skiing that requires skiers and snowboarders to take a helicopter ride to remote mountain tops. And allows participants to ski down untouched areas.

According to the wrongful death lawsuit, Kellner was seriously injured but alive after the crash. And the lawsuit does not provide details on the nature of his injuries or his cause of death. 

The lawsuit also claims that an emergency location transmitter installed in the helicopter did not activate on impact, further raising questions about the response and actions of the companies involved.

The sole survivor of the crash, Czech snowboarder David Horvath, is also separately suing the lodge over injuries he suffered. 

Horvath's attorney, Tracey Knutson, stated that Kellner and a guide lived through the impact but died before rescuers arrived. 

Horvath was trapped in his seat for nearly six hours, suffering from broken ribs, dislocated knees, and frostbite that resulted in the loss of fingers on both hands.

The lawsuit brings attention to the risks and responsibilities associated with the popular extreme sport.

As the case unfolds, the National Transportation Safety Board is expected to release a final crash report later this year.

 The outcome of the lawsuit will likely have significant implications for the companies involved and may prompt increased scrutiny and regulation in the heli-skiing industry to prevent similar incidents in the future.