Father of ‘lovely’ Irishman who died in horror 1,640ft helicopter crash in Alps was waiting to follow son up mountain
TRIBUTES have been paid to an Irishman killed in a Swiss Alps helicopter smash — as it emerged his dad watched his final moments in horror.
James Davis-Goff was one of three people who died when the chopper they were in was caught in an avalanche as it landed on top of a mountain while on a heli-skiing trip.
The former United Nations worker, 34, from Wicklow, was being dropped off on the summit of Petit Combin on Tuesday.
Passenger Edward Courage, 68 — of the Courage Brewery family — pushed brothers Guy and Teddy Hutchings out of the aircraft and jumped but was unable to save James.
He said in an interview from his hospital bed: “James Goff was a lovely boy. His father was in the second rotation waiting to go up after us.”
James, who is also known as Jimmy, was a qualified ski instructor.
He had also worked in several countries over the past decade, including in the US as an intern for the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs in San Francisco.
His parents, Robert and Sheelagh Davis-Goff, owned the 19th century Ballinacor Estate in Rathdrum, Co Wicklow.
His father is also part of Goffs auction house for horses in Kill, Co Kildare.
His sister Sarah Davis-Goff is the co-founder of the publishing company Tramp Press.
Wicklow councillor Peir Leonard said it was “devastating” for the family.
She said: “What a very sad and tragic loss of a young life. My sincere condolences go out to James’s family. The loss of a child at any age is devastating.”
Helicopter owner Air Glaciers told local media: “We are deeply shocked by this event. Our thoughts are with the families and relatives of the victims.”
The pilot, local father-of-two Jerome Lovey, along with tour guide Adam George, 45, originally from New Hampshire in the United States, also died.
The three who escaped the helicopter were injured.
Hero passenger
Mr Courage plunged 1,600ft down a near-vertical slope before falling another 100ft in a crevasse.
He lay there injured for five hours before he was located using a tracking device.
Guy Hutchings, 23, ended up “severely beaten up and bed-bound” while Teddy, 18, left hospital on crutches.
Mr Courage was last night recovering from surgery after he broke several bones upon landing. He admitted: “I thought my time was up.”
Rescue op
The avalanche battered much of that region of the Alps, causing chaos across the popular ski area.
The Valais cantonal police said: “Around 9.25am, a B3 type helicopter crashed at the Petit Combin mountain landing site during a heli-ski drop-off.
“Having reached the summit of this mountain, culminating at 3,668 metres above sea level, for a reason the investigation will have to determine, the aircraft slid down the northern slope.”
A skier who arrived at the summit shortly after the accident said: “We landed after them on the south side of the Petit Combin and saw the avalanche. It was horrific.
‘Consumed in the avalanche’
“We couldn’t make out the helicopter. It was consumed in the avalanche. We heard of the crash over the radio. We were advised to get safely off the mountain.”
Seven rescue helicopters were called into action to attend the crash site. The three passengers who escaped were treated at the scene for their wounds before the others were found dead.
Locals described the weather conditions at the time of the crash as ideal, leaving investigators puzzled as to how the aircraft started its fatal descent off the mountain slope.
But eyewitnesses described the helicopter getting swept up in a volatile avalanche and then beginning to free-fall down the mountain.
Heli-skiing is done off-trail on fresh snow and sees advanced level skiers expertly navigate downhill after being dropped off at a chosen peak.
Three other people were killed in another Swiss Alps avalanche on Easter Monday.
