A politician’s son was instantly killed in a horror tragedy when a helicopter hurtled out of the sky and knocked him to his death as he walked along the street.
Isiah Otieno, who was the son of a Kenyan minister, was just 23 and a student when he was killed in the freak accident asa helicopter hurtled out of the sky and knocked him to his death.
Horrifically, his father, former Kenyan Public Service Minister Dalmas Otieno, found out about his son’s death through an email.
Isiah was studying at the College of the Rockies in Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada in 2008. He went to post a letter to his family in Nairobi, on May 13.
However, as he crossed the street, a Bell 206 helicopter carrying out power line inspections dropped from the sky and crashed into him before bursting into flames, according to
Nairobi Leo. Eyewitnesses reported the aircraft appeared to struggle while in the air before spiraling into an explosive wreck on a peaceful residential street.
Tragically, several people were said to have tried to shout at Isiah warning him to move but he was wearing earphones and may not have heard the noise of the helicopter or the cries from those nearby.
Pilot Edward Heeb, 57, and BC Hydro employees Dirk Rozenboom, 45, and Robert Lehmann, 37, died in the crash, along with Isaiah.
Horrifyingly one of the eye witnesses to the tragedy, who took photos of it unfolding, was Isiah’s best friend.
One witness, Elmer Bautz, said: “There was a pedestrian walking on the street across from me and he was just about at the back alley and I don’t think he even knew what hit him.”
A second witness added: “It didn’t crash at a high speed. The pilot had been trying to control it, but the motor was out at that point and he fell the last 15 feet. Unfortunately, it hit a pedestrian on the sidewalk.”
Heartbreakingly, the news reached Isiah’s devastated father, Dalmas Otieno, in an email. Isaiah’s friends used his email account to inform his dad of what had happened. The loss was later confirmed by Canadian authorities. Isaiah’s father had spoken to his son on the phone just an hour before he was killed.
The College of the Rockies held a memorial service to honour Isaiah. The college’s then-President and CEO, Nick Rubidge, described him as a kind, cheerful, and gentle young man who was a great representative of his country. “He had a wonderful, gentle nature and was an excellent ambassador for his nation,” Rubidge said.
An investigation later revealed the helicopter had suffered a sudden engine failure. In a final heroic effort the pilot aimed for the street, to avoid any homes but took down Isiah in the process.
Following the inquest, a jury made eight recommendations to Transport Canada and the Transportation Safety Board. These included clearer regulations for helicopter operators, a requirement for dual-engine aircraft when flying over cities, and mandatory data trackers on all commercial helicopters.
Following his son’s death, Dalmas Otieno visited Cranbrook, along with his wife and the Kenyan High Commissioner to Canada, and demanded compensation for the tragedy. The former Kenyan Public Service Minister said while no amount of compensation could replace his son, he hopes an investigation can be completed quickly.
The engine from the helicopter was taken apart piece by piece and analysed by the Transportation Safety Board. Senior investigator Damien Lawson said determining a cause for the accident would be challenging.
TSB spokesman Bill Yearwood said investigators are lucky that despite the fire which engulfed the helicopter after the crash, the engine was largely intact. Since the helicopter did not have a flight data recorder, information gleaned from the engine was crucial and proved the crash had been caused by engine failure.