Irish man killed in helicopter crash in Swiss Alps named 

The accident unfolded when the B3-type helicopter crashed at the Petit Combin Mountain landing site during a drop-off.

An Irishman who died in a helicopter crash in the Swiss Alps has been named as James Goff from Co Wicklow.

He was among two others who died on Tuesday when the aircraft they were travelling in lost control at the summit of the Petit Combin Mountain and slid down the northern slope of the mountain.

Mr Goff, who is aged in his 30s, was with a group of skiers and a mountain guide who planned to go heliskiing off the mountains at the time.

The method is for advanced skiers who navigate downhill when they are dropped at a chosen peak by a helicopter.

Mr Goff, who was also known as ‘Jimmy’, is survived by his parents Robert and Sheelagh Goff, who are the owners of Ballinacor Estate in Rathdrum, Co Wicklow, and his sister, author and publisher Sarah Davis-Goff.

He was living in Dublin and had studied in the UK before returning to Ireland and had also previously worked for the United Nations for several years in Zimbabwe and Lebanon.

The air accident left three people dead, while three others were injured according to police in Switzerland.

Two other men who died included the pilot of the helicopter, who has been named as Jerome Lovey, a father of two.

A second man, the mountain guide Adam George, who was originally from New Hampshire in the US also lost his life.

In a statement to the Irish Examiner, a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs said it was aware of the case and "stands ready to provide consular assistance".

The accident unfolded when the B3-type helicopter crashed at the Petit Combin Mountain landing site during a drop-off.

Seven rescue helicopters responded to the crash.

Two injured people were treated on the mountain before being airlifted to hospital in Sion, the capital of the Valais, or Wallis, canton.

A third person was rescued afterwards, the police said.

All three are British and have been named as Edward Courage and brothers Teddy and Guy Hitchens, according to reports.

Valais canton police said: “Having reached the summit of a mountain culminating at 3,668m above sea level, for a reason that the investigation will have to determine, the aircraft slid down the northern slope.” 

Mr Courage is said to have saved the Hitchens brothers by pushing them out of the helicopter as it slid off the summit.

However, he plunged an estimated 500m down into a crevasse and was stranded for five hours before being winched to safety.

Swiss authorities have opened an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.