Brothers and girlfriend killed in Grand Canyon helicopter crash

A victim of the helicopter crash in the Grand Canyon was celebrating his 30th birthday when he was killed alongside his girlfriend and brother.

Stuart Hill was with girlfriend Becky Dobson, 27, and older brother Jason Hill, 32, when their Papillon tour helicopter came down at about 5.20pm on Saturday.

They were killed instantly. Three other friends, also from the UK, and the pilot are fighting for their lives in hospital.

Ms Dobson was an animal lover who worked as a receptionist at Vets4Pets in Worthing, West Sussex.

She dreamed of becoming a veterinary nurse, and in a biography on the practice's website she said she loved spending time with her horse, Buddy, as well as her friends and family, and travelling.

Ms Dobson's father Peter Dobson said Becky was "full of life and looking forward to going to Vegas for her boyfriend's 30th birthday to celebrate".

"She was always happy," he said.

"They were really happy together, they were always going out and doing things, just enjoyed being with each other."

Stuart and Jason were originally from Worthing.

Stuart worked at Lookers, a large car retailer, while his brother worked for law firm Shoosmiths, most recently at the firm's Milton Keynes branch.

Their father, the Reverend David Hill, told the Evening Standard Jason was about to become a partner in the law firm.

The Rev Hill told the Standard: "The two brothers loved each other and were very close, and so our misfortune is their support - because they went together, and I will thank God every day for them."

He said they had saved for a year to go on the trip and were there as a group of six.

Losing his sons felt like a "light had gone out", he said.

The three other friends injured in the crash remain in intensive care.

Ellie Milward, 29, Jonathan Udall, 32, and Jennifer Barham, 39, were airlifted to University Medical Centre in Las Vegas, Nevada, along with pilot Scott Booth, 42.

National Transportation Safety Board investigator Stephen Stein said detectives were "working very closely to obtain statements, which will happen hopefully within the next few days or whenever they do make a timely recovery".

"Their safety is very important to us. We want to make sure we do not rush the recovery."

Mr Stein would not speculate on what may have caused the crash, though he said a preliminary report will be ready in the coming days.

Police said the injured had to wait eight hours for emergency services to tend to them, as conditions made the crash site difficult to get to.

One witness saw a woman crawl out of the wreckage and shout "Jason" as the helicopter went up in flames around her.

Mr Udall's father Philip told the MailOnline his son and daughter-in-law Ms Milward were on their honeymoon.

He said: "We have spoken to the hospital and they are in a critical condition but they told us they are currently stable."

Hualapai police chief Francis Bradley said: "Yesterday, we were hampered by severe weather conditions, we had gusts up to 50mph. The terrain where the crash occurred...is extremely rugged."

Photos of the crash scene taken by witness Teddy Fujimoto showed flames and dark smoke rising from the rocky terrain.

Mr Fujimoto, a Las Vegas photographer, was taking pictures for a wedding shoot when he heard people shouting and saw them running towards the edge of a ravine.

"There was a helicopter, flames, smoke," he said. "It was horrible... unimaginable."

In a statement, Papillon Group chief executive Brenda Halvorson said: "It is with extreme sadness we extend our heartfelt sympathy to the families involved in this accident.

"Our top priority is the care and needs of our passengers and our staff."

One witness, Kaitlyn Rodriguez, wrote on Facebook: "I was on this tour and moments after our helicopter landed, witnessed the crash.

"My amazingly brave mother, along with several others, trekked down into the ravine to assist the survivors. We were stranded in the Grand Canyon for hours, my mom being at the bottom administering medical attention to the survivors for over 10 hours.

"So very proud of her and all who helped the victims of the crash. Such a tragic accident."

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We are providing support to the families of six British visitors involved in a helicopter accident at the Grand Canyon on February 10, and we are in close contact with the US emergency services."

An investigation will take place into the crash. The cause is currently unknown, but a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said the helicopter had sustained "heavy damage".