Jury Awards Nearly $7.5 Million to Family of Czech Billionaire Killed in Alaska Heli-Ski Crash

Five years after one of the deadliest heli-skiing helicopter accidents in North American history, an Anchorage jury has delivered its verdict in a closely watched wrongful death case.

On Thursday, July 2, jurors awarded just under $7.5 million in damages, including $1.2 million for pain and suffering and $6.63 million for economic loss, to the estate of Petr Kellner, the Czech billionaire who survived the initial impact of a March 2021 helicopter crash near Alaska's Knik Glacier but died before rescuers could reach him.

The jury’s total award includes $1.2 million for pain and suffering and $6.283 million for economic losses. While finding all three original defendants negligent, the jury allocated fault across the entities responsible for the excursion and flight tracking:

• Soloy Helicopters & Third Edge Alaska: Assigned a combined 80% of the fault. (Soloy Helicopters, the Wasilla-based operator of the aircraft, had previously reached a confidential multi-million dollar settlement with the Kellner estate and was dismissed prior to the trial).

• Tordrillo Mountain Lodge: Found 20% responsible by the jury.

Five Weeks of Testimony, Two Days of Deliberation

The Anchorage Superior Court trial lasted five weeks, with deliberations beginning Tuesday before the verdict came down Thursday morning. Fault was allocated among the three original defendants — Tordrillo Mountain Lodge, Soloy Helicopters and Third Edge Alaska.

Jurors found that the lodge's delayed rescue effort contributed to Kellner's injuries and death. Soloy Helicopters, the Wasilla-based operator of the aircraft, had already reached a settlement with the Kellner family for several million dollars and was dismissed from the suit before trial, meaning the verdict results in a final judgment against Tordrillo Mountain Lodge and Third Edge.

In a statement, the Kellner Estate said the verdict brought a measure of closure: "While this verdict does not change what happened, it does bring closure and much needed accountability." The estate added that jurors held responsible those who contributed both to Kellner's death and to the delayed rescue operation.

A Remote Luxury Lodge and a Longtime Client

Tordrillo Mountain Lodge is a remote, high-end destination across Cook Inlet from Anchorage, co-owned by Olympic gold medal skier Tommy Moe, Alaska heli-ski pioneer Mike Overcast, and Mike Rheam. Kellner had booked numerous previous trips with the lodge.

During the trial, the lodge's legal team argued that Soloy Helicopters — not the lodge — caused the crash and, in turn, Kellner's death, rather than the delayed rescue. They also contended Soloy carried the federally required responsibility for tracking the flight, since the lodge provided guides but not the aircraft. Jurors evidently rejected that framing in apportioning liability to the lodge as well.

What Happened on the Glacier

Kellner, 56, was one of three international clients aboard an Airbus AS350-B3 helicopter operated by Soloy Helicopters during a snowboarding trip booked through Tordrillo Mountain Lodge. The crash, on March 27, 2021, is considered among the deadliest heli-skiing aviation accidents in North American history.

Also killed were pilot Zachary Russell, 33, of Anchorage; guide Sean McManamy, 38, of Girdwood; guide Gregory Harms, 52, of Colorado; and client Benjamin Larochaix, 50, of the Czech Republic. The lone survivor, Czech snowboarder David Horváth, was trapped in the wreckage for hours and last saw Kellner walking outside the helicopter after the crash, according to an account he gave Alaska's News Source in 2024.

Federal investigators concluded the crash was caused by pilot error during a whiteout encounter, with the National Transportation Safety Board finding that Russell failed to adequately respond after losing visual reference in blowing snow while attempting to land on a ridgeline above the Knik Glacier. The agency's report, released in 2023, found no evidence of mechanical failure.

The Rescue Delay at the Heart of the Case

Rather than disputing the cause of the crash itself, the lawsuit turned on what happened in the hours afterward. The NTSB reported that the flight follower assigned to track the helicopter waited 41 minutes after its last recorded signal before notifying a supervisor, and that nearly two hours passed before the lodge's flight team notified Soloy that the aircraft was overdue. A rescue team did not reach the crash site until roughly five hours and 40 minutes after the crash.

The estate said jurors found the lodge's failure to secure backup helicopters and activate its emergency plan in a timely manner contributed to Kellner's death, while also finding Soloy Helicopters bore significant responsibility because it was accountable for the pilot's errors.

The NTSB could not determine with certainty whether an earlier rescue would have saved the other passengers who died, but its medical investigators concluded a faster response would have reduced the severity of Horváth's injuries. A separate suit brought by Horváth over his own injuries remains before the Alaska Supreme Court on appeal.

In a statement released following the decision, the Kellner family expressed a desire for industry-wide change:“While this verdict does not change what happened, it does bring closure and much needed accountability... We hope this case encourages the heli-ski industry to revisit its emergency procedures so that other families do not suffer similar tragedies.”

Tordrillo Mountain Lodge, a remote luxury resort co-owned by Olympic gold medalist Tommy Moe and heli-ski pioneers Mike Overcast and Mike Rheam, also released a statement: “The jury found multiple parties shared responsibility for this accident... We extend our sincere condolences to the Kellner family and to the families and loved ones of every person who was lost that day.”

Petr Kellner was one of Europe's most successful entrepreneurs, having founded investment group PPF in 1991 and built it into the largest private investment group in Central and Eastern Europe, with operations spanning financial services, telecommunications, and media across roughly two dozen countries. Despite his wealth, he was known for shunning the spotlight and guarding his family's privacy closely. An avid snowboarder, he was 56 when he died on the glacier he had visited many times before.