Husband of Pilot Killed in 2021 Helicopter Crash Sues Manufacturers

The husband of pilot Maria Rodriguez has sued manufacturers Rolls-Royce and Boeing — as well as aircraft mechanic Jay Lammering — in V.I. Superior Court over a 2021 helicopter crash near Botany Bay, which claimed the lives of Rodriguez and three others.

The suit was filed days after a U.S. District Court judge in Texas dismissed Van Heurck and others’ federal complaint against the companies.

Rodriguez was piloting a Bell 206B-III helicopter through her business, Caribbean Buzz Helicopters, in February 2021 while carrying passengers Daniel Yannone, Neisha Zahn and their son, Tyler Yannone, on a sightseeing tour of St. Thomas. According to an investigative report from the National Transportation Safety Board, a witness saw dark smoke emanate from the engine compartment before the helicopter crashed into a densely wooded, steep hill near Botany Bay.

Both complaints note that a toxicology report found no traces of alcohol or nonprescription drugs in Rodrigeuz’s system at the time of the crash. Both complaints also reference eyewitness reports of dark smoke and a sudden silencing of the engine, indicating “sudden and complete loss of power.” According to Caribbean Buzz’s own investigation, the helicopter crashed due to a “contained failure within the compressor section of the helicopter’s engine.”