Sergey Brin sued over deadly crash of his Fiji-bound seaplane

Alphabet Inc’s Google, which was allegedly part owner of the aircraft, was named as a co-defendant, as were the maintenance company that installed the fuel system and the firm that hired the pilots. The lawsuit also accused Brin of seeking to destroy evidence at the crash scene by obstructing recovery efforts. — AFP

Google co-founder Sergey Brin is facing a wrongful-death suit in California from the widow of the pilot who was flying one of the billionaire’s planes from Santa Rosa to his private island in Fiji last year when it crashed into the Pacific Ocean.

The suit, filed in state court in Santa Clara County, alleges Brin’s US$8mil twin-engine seaplane was improperly outfitted with an auxiliary fuel tank that malfunctioned several hours into the May 20 flight, forcing an emergency return to California. It crashed off the coast of Half Moon Bay, killing pilot Lance Maclean and his co-pilot Dean Rushfeldt.