It is with sadness we record the untimely death of world record holding pilot Johan Nurmi in an R22 accident in California on Monday 9th July.  While the circumstances of the accident are unknown, press photos show Robinson R22 N7527Y lying on its side in a desert area some four miles east of French Valley Airport nr Murrieta – where his company USA Academy of Aviation is based.  The passenger on the flight suffered minor injuries.  Aerial photos show the rotorhead and blades separated from the mast, but close by the airframe and thus likely parted by the impact and not a cause of it.

As with all incidents, HeliHub.com has a page for this and we will keep this update as new information becomes available. – see 09-Jul-12 N7527Y Robinson R22B Murrieta, US-California (1F)

On the company’s website, Nurmi is listed as being a part of seven American and five world helicopter speed records. His biography says he has more than 24 years of experience, is a FAA Gold Seal helicopter flight instructor and has more than 11,000 hours of flight time.  His last Twitter post on 1st July was clearly targetting a new record opportunity – “If you own a casino, sponsor us with a R66 turbine helicopter around the world and place it in your casino!”

Mr Nurmi was born in 1951 in Eskilstuna, Sweden and lived in Corona, California according to the biographical website MyLife.com

Jeremy Parkin – HeliHub.com