Google co-founder Sergey Brin was flying a billionaire’s seaplane from California to a private island in Fiji when it ran out of fuel and crashed into the Pacific Ocean, prompting a wrongful death lawsuit from the pilot’s widow.
Blinn’s $8 million twin-engine plane was equipped with an “unauthorized and illegally installed auxiliary fuel system,” according to a complaint filed in state court in Santa Clara County, California, on May 20, 2023. The plane broke down several hours into the flight on Sunday. Month.
Pilot Lance McLean and co-pilot Dean Rushfeldt attempted to return to California but died when they crashed into the Pacific Ocean about 30 miles southwest of San Francisco and about 13 miles short of the coast near Half Moon Bay.
The lawsuit, filed by MacLean’s widow Maria Magdalena Olarte, also names Google, which owns part of the plane, as co-defendants, as well as the maintenance company that installed the fuel system and hired the pilot.
The newspaper also accused Brin, who is the world’s 10th richest person with an estimated net worth of $122 billion. Bloomberg Billionaires Index — Crime of attempting to destroy evidence at the accident scene by obstructing recovery efforts.
“Brin is one of the richest people in the world.” Mr. Olarte’s lawyer said in an amended complaint filed on February 13 that if he wanted to recover the plane and the bodies of those lost, he would not be able to do so. He said Mr Brin’s failure to act was “probably because he already knew the alarming facts”. This was revealed by the FAA in a subsequent investigation. ”
The Post has reached out to Google for comment.
According to a complaint filed earlier this month in Santa Clara County state court, pilot Lance McLean and co-pilot Dean Rushfelt “declared a state of emergency due to rapidly running out of fuel.” He was forced to make an emergency return to California.Previously reported by bloomberg.
The suit says MacLean and Rushfelt were on their way to Fiji “for Blinn to host private guests on an island tour,” and that MacLean, 65, had been Blinn’s pilot for “a number of years.” It has been stated.
However, Viking Air’s DHC-6 Twin Otter Series 400 seaplane did not have enough fuel capacity to fly the approximately 2,350-mile first leg from Santa Rosa, California, to Hawaii. , hired by Brin et al. The suit claimed that mechanics installed auxiliary systems on the fuselage to increase its capabilities.
But because the mechanic installed it illegally “based on memory,” fuel was not transferred from the auxiliary system to the main tank during the flight, ultimately causing the crash, the lawsuit said.
Court documents say rescue teams found the plane floating upside down in the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, which is home to sea otters, elephant seals, gray whales and other endangered species. There is.
MacLean and Rushfelt were both found strapped to their seats in the submerged cockpit, but neither could be rescued on the day of the crash. ft.,” the lawsuit states.
Brin’s family firm, Bayshore Global Management, publicly vowed two days after the accident to “provide support to the family and continue to do so for as long as necessary.”
But just days later, according to the complaint, Brin’s representatives said, “Because the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has denied permission for underwater activities in this area, no one can legally attempt to recover the aircraft.” ” he is said to have said.
NOAA denied interfering with recovery efforts, according to the complaint.
According to the complaint, the plaintiffs believed that NOAA was “holding back” for 24 days, at which point “the lie that NOAA was blocking recovery efforts was exposed.”
“Despite publicly assuring the plaintiff from the outset that her husband’s body would be recovered, Brin and his attorneys will prove that the defendant was responsible for the crash that killed the plaintiff. The decision was made to leave the plaintiffs on the ocean floor along with the evidence.According to the complaint, there were two pilots.
A representative for Mr. Blinn at Bayshore told the Post: Our thoughts are with the family, but we cannot comment on pending legal action. ”
Olarte is seeking at least $150,000 in economic damages, including at least $50,000 each in “severe emotional distress,” “economic damages” and “general damages,” according to the lawsuit.
Mr. Olarte’s attorney did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
in Instagram post Olarte mourned her late husband 90 days after the fatal accident, writing that Bryn “never once spoke to me or offered assistance in finding my Lance.” .
