Latest news with #McBeth
The Advertiser
01-07-2025
- General
- The Advertiser
US firefighters' widows sue over 'tragic' plane crash
The widows of two American firefighters killed in a plane crash during Black Summer are suing the NSW Rural Fire Service for negligence, alleging the crew was deployed in conditions that were too dangerous for flying. Captain Ian McBeth, 45, first officer Paul Clyde Hudson, 42, and flight engineer Rick DeMorgan Jr, 43, were killed when their firefighting tanker crashed in southern NSW on January 23, 2020. The Lockheed Martin EC-130 LAT stalled at low altitude after dropping fire retardant, likely after a "sudden and significant" wind change, an inquest found in March 2024. The inquest heard the crew was tasked to a fireground at Adaminaby, in the NSW Snowy Mountains, just as the pilot of a different fire surveillance aircraft rejected a mission to fly because of the extreme conditions. The US crew could not drop retardant at the fireground due to low visibility, before they were deployed to different blaze nearby, known as the Good Good fire, which was burning in a mountain range. It was there that the crew did a partial drop, before the plane lost power and likely stalled. Captain McBeth's widow Bowdie McBeth and Mr Hudson's widow Noreen Hudson are seeking damages, suing both the NSW RFS and the aircraft operator Coulson Aviation. A statement of claim filed in the NSW Supreme Court alleges both organisations were negligent in exposing the crew to a foreseeable and significant risk of harm. The RFS and Coulson Aviation should have taken several precautions to protect the crew, including recognising "the forecast and weather conditions in the Snowy Mountains region were hazardous and unsafe for aircraft". The men should have also been informed that the pilot of the surveillance aircraft had rejected the task to fly due to the dangerous conditions, the document said. At the inquest the RFS conceded the crew could have been given more information, but the experienced airmen knew enough to make informed decisions about flying that day. During a brief Supreme Court hearing in late June, Justice Richard Cavanagh was told Ms McBeth and Ms Hudson were no longer represented by large compensation firm Shine Lawyers. The women engaged separate lawyers and were seeking to serve fresh expert reports more than two years after the case was first filed. Barrister Greg O'Mahoney, representing Coulson Aviation, said there was a long history of non-compliance with service orders in the case and a large volume of evidence available from the inquest. But Mr O'Mahoney and Nicholas Newton, the barrister representing the RFS, acknowledged the case would fall apart if the women's new lawyers were not allowed to serve the fresh reports. Justice Cavanagh granted leave for the families' legal teams to file new expert reports on liability by September. "(This is) obviously a tragic, difficult case ... a complex case," the judge said. He set down a 10-day hearing in June 2026. The widows of two American firefighters killed in a plane crash during Black Summer are suing the NSW Rural Fire Service for negligence, alleging the crew was deployed in conditions that were too dangerous for flying. Captain Ian McBeth, 45, first officer Paul Clyde Hudson, 42, and flight engineer Rick DeMorgan Jr, 43, were killed when their firefighting tanker crashed in southern NSW on January 23, 2020. The Lockheed Martin EC-130 LAT stalled at low altitude after dropping fire retardant, likely after a "sudden and significant" wind change, an inquest found in March 2024. The inquest heard the crew was tasked to a fireground at Adaminaby, in the NSW Snowy Mountains, just as the pilot of a different fire surveillance aircraft rejected a mission to fly because of the extreme conditions. The US crew could not drop retardant at the fireground due to low visibility, before they were deployed to different blaze nearby, known as the Good Good fire, which was burning in a mountain range. It was there that the crew did a partial drop, before the plane lost power and likely stalled. Captain McBeth's widow Bowdie McBeth and Mr Hudson's widow Noreen Hudson are seeking damages, suing both the NSW RFS and the aircraft operator Coulson Aviation. A statement of claim filed in the NSW Supreme Court alleges both organisations were negligent in exposing the crew to a foreseeable and significant risk of harm. The RFS and Coulson Aviation should have taken several precautions to protect the crew, including recognising "the forecast and weather conditions in the Snowy Mountains region were hazardous and unsafe for aircraft". The men should have also been informed that the pilot of the surveillance aircraft had rejected the task to fly due to the dangerous conditions, the document said. At the inquest the RFS conceded the crew could have been given more information, but the experienced airmen knew enough to make informed decisions about flying that day. During a brief Supreme Court hearing in late June, Justice Richard Cavanagh was told Ms McBeth and Ms Hudson were no longer represented by large compensation firm Shine Lawyers. The women engaged separate lawyers and were seeking to serve fresh expert reports more than two years after the case was first filed. Barrister Greg O'Mahoney, representing Coulson Aviation, said there was a long history of non-compliance with service orders in the case and a large volume of evidence available from the inquest. But Mr O'Mahoney and Nicholas Newton, the barrister representing the RFS, acknowledged the case would fall apart if the women's new lawyers were not allowed to serve the fresh reports. Justice Cavanagh granted leave for the families' legal teams to file new expert reports on liability by September. "(This is) obviously a tragic, difficult case ... a complex case," the judge said. He set down a 10-day hearing in June 2026. The widows of two American firefighters killed in a plane crash during Black Summer are suing the NSW Rural Fire Service for negligence, alleging the crew was deployed in conditions that were too dangerous for flying. Captain Ian McBeth, 45, first officer Paul Clyde Hudson, 42, and flight engineer Rick DeMorgan Jr, 43, were killed when their firefighting tanker crashed in southern NSW on January 23, 2020. The Lockheed Martin EC-130 LAT stalled at low altitude after dropping fire retardant, likely after a "sudden and significant" wind change, an inquest found in March 2024. The inquest heard the crew was tasked to a fireground at Adaminaby, in the NSW Snowy Mountains, just as the pilot of a different fire surveillance aircraft rejected a mission to fly because of the extreme conditions. The US crew could not drop retardant at the fireground due to low visibility, before they were deployed to different blaze nearby, known as the Good Good fire, which was burning in a mountain range. It was there that the crew did a partial drop, before the plane lost power and likely stalled. Captain McBeth's widow Bowdie McBeth and Mr Hudson's widow Noreen Hudson are seeking damages, suing both the NSW RFS and the aircraft operator Coulson Aviation. A statement of claim filed in the NSW Supreme Court alleges both organisations were negligent in exposing the crew to a foreseeable and significant risk of harm. The RFS and Coulson Aviation should have taken several precautions to protect the crew, including recognising "the forecast and weather conditions in the Snowy Mountains region were hazardous and unsafe for aircraft". The men should have also been informed that the pilot of the surveillance aircraft had rejected the task to fly due to the dangerous conditions, the document said. At the inquest the RFS conceded the crew could have been given more information, but the experienced airmen knew enough to make informed decisions about flying that day. During a brief Supreme Court hearing in late June, Justice Richard Cavanagh was told Ms McBeth and Ms Hudson were no longer represented by large compensation firm Shine Lawyers. The women engaged separate lawyers and were seeking to serve fresh expert reports more than two years after the case was first filed. Barrister Greg O'Mahoney, representing Coulson Aviation, said there was a long history of non-compliance with service orders in the case and a large volume of evidence available from the inquest. But Mr O'Mahoney and Nicholas Newton, the barrister representing the RFS, acknowledged the case would fall apart if the women's new lawyers were not allowed to serve the fresh reports. Justice Cavanagh granted leave for the families' legal teams to file new expert reports on liability by September. "(This is) obviously a tragic, difficult case ... a complex case," the judge said. He set down a 10-day hearing in June 2026. The widows of two American firefighters killed in a plane crash during Black Summer are suing the NSW Rural Fire Service for negligence, alleging the crew was deployed in conditions that were too dangerous for flying. Captain Ian McBeth, 45, first officer Paul Clyde Hudson, 42, and flight engineer Rick DeMorgan Jr, 43, were killed when their firefighting tanker crashed in southern NSW on January 23, 2020. The Lockheed Martin EC-130 LAT stalled at low altitude after dropping fire retardant, likely after a "sudden and significant" wind change, an inquest found in March 2024. The inquest heard the crew was tasked to a fireground at Adaminaby, in the NSW Snowy Mountains, just as the pilot of a different fire surveillance aircraft rejected a mission to fly because of the extreme conditions. The US crew could not drop retardant at the fireground due to low visibility, before they were deployed to different blaze nearby, known as the Good Good fire, which was burning in a mountain range. It was there that the crew did a partial drop, before the plane lost power and likely stalled. Captain McBeth's widow Bowdie McBeth and Mr Hudson's widow Noreen Hudson are seeking damages, suing both the NSW RFS and the aircraft operator Coulson Aviation. A statement of claim filed in the NSW Supreme Court alleges both organisations were negligent in exposing the crew to a foreseeable and significant risk of harm. The RFS and Coulson Aviation should have taken several precautions to protect the crew, including recognising "the forecast and weather conditions in the Snowy Mountains region were hazardous and unsafe for aircraft". The men should have also been informed that the pilot of the surveillance aircraft had rejected the task to fly due to the dangerous conditions, the document said. At the inquest the RFS conceded the crew could have been given more information, but the experienced airmen knew enough to make informed decisions about flying that day. During a brief Supreme Court hearing in late June, Justice Richard Cavanagh was told Ms McBeth and Ms Hudson were no longer represented by large compensation firm Shine Lawyers. The women engaged separate lawyers and were seeking to serve fresh expert reports more than two years after the case was first filed. Barrister Greg O'Mahoney, representing Coulson Aviation, said there was a long history of non-compliance with service orders in the case and a large volume of evidence available from the inquest. But Mr O'Mahoney and Nicholas Newton, the barrister representing the RFS, acknowledged the case would fall apart if the women's new lawyers were not allowed to serve the fresh reports. Justice Cavanagh granted leave for the families' legal teams to file new expert reports on liability by September. "(This is) obviously a tragic, difficult case ... a complex case," the judge said. He set down a 10-day hearing in June 2026.
West Australian
01-07-2025
- General
- West Australian
US firefighters' widows sue over 'tragic' plane crash
The widows of two American firefighters killed in a plane crash during Black Summer are suing the NSW Rural Fire Service for negligence, alleging the crew was deployed in conditions that were too dangerous for flying. Captain Ian McBeth, 45, first officer Paul Clyde Hudson, 42, and flight engineer Rick DeMorgan Jr, 43, were killed when their firefighting tanker crashed in southern NSW on January 23, 2020. The Lockheed Martin EC-130 LAT stalled at low altitude after dropping fire retardant, likely after a "sudden and significant" wind change, an inquest found in March 2024. The inquest heard the crew was tasked to a fireground at Adaminaby, in the NSW Snowy Mountains, just as the pilot of a different fire surveillance aircraft rejected a mission to fly because of the extreme conditions. The US crew could not drop retardant at the fireground due to low visibility, before they were deployed to different blaze nearby, known as the Good Good fire, which was burning in a mountain range. It was there that the crew did a partial drop, before the plane lost power and likely stalled. Captain McBeth's widow Bowdie McBeth and Mr Hudson's widow Noreen Hudson are seeking damages, suing both the NSW RFS and the aircraft operator Coulson Aviation. A statement of claim filed in the NSW Supreme Court alleges both organisations were negligent in exposing the crew to a foreseeable and significant risk of harm. The RFS and Coulson Aviation should have taken several precautions to protect the crew, including recognising "the forecast and weather conditions in the Snowy Mountains region were hazardous and unsafe for aircraft". The men should have also been informed that the pilot of the surveillance aircraft had rejected the task to fly due to the dangerous conditions, the document said. At the inquest the RFS conceded the crew could have been given more information, but the experienced airmen knew enough to make informed decisions about flying that day. During a brief Supreme Court hearing in late June, Justice Richard Cavanagh was told Ms McBeth and Ms Hudson were no longer represented by large compensation firm Shine Lawyers. The women engaged separate lawyers and were seeking to serve fresh expert reports more than two years after the case was first filed. Barrister Greg O'Mahoney, representing Coulson Aviation, said there was a long history of non-compliance with service orders in the case and a large volume of evidence available from the inquest. But Mr O'Mahoney and Nicholas Newton, the barrister representing the RFS, acknowledged the case would fall apart if the women's new lawyers were not allowed to serve the fresh reports. Justice Cavanagh granted leave for the families' legal teams to file new expert reports on liability by September. "(This is) obviously a tragic, difficult case ... a complex case," the judge said. He set down a 10-day hearing in June 2026.
Perth Now
01-07-2025
- General
- Perth Now
US firefighters' widows sue over 'tragic' plane crash
The widows of two American firefighters killed in a plane crash during Black Summer are suing the NSW Rural Fire Service for negligence, alleging the crew was deployed in conditions that were too dangerous for flying. Captain Ian McBeth, 45, first officer Paul Clyde Hudson, 42, and flight engineer Rick DeMorgan Jr, 43, were killed when their firefighting tanker crashed in southern NSW on January 23, 2020. The Lockheed Martin EC-130 LAT stalled at low altitude after dropping fire retardant, likely after a "sudden and significant" wind change, an inquest found in March 2024. The inquest heard the crew was tasked to a fireground at Adaminaby, in the NSW Snowy Mountains, just as the pilot of a different fire surveillance aircraft rejected a mission to fly because of the extreme conditions. The US crew could not drop retardant at the fireground due to low visibility, before they were deployed to different blaze nearby, known as the Good Good fire, which was burning in a mountain range. It was there that the crew did a partial drop, before the plane lost power and likely stalled. Captain McBeth's widow Bowdie McBeth and Mr Hudson's widow Noreen Hudson are seeking damages, suing both the NSW RFS and the aircraft operator Coulson Aviation. A statement of claim filed in the NSW Supreme Court alleges both organisations were negligent in exposing the crew to a foreseeable and significant risk of harm. The RFS and Coulson Aviation should have taken several precautions to protect the crew, including recognising "the forecast and weather conditions in the Snowy Mountains region were hazardous and unsafe for aircraft". The men should have also been informed that the pilot of the surveillance aircraft had rejected the task to fly due to the dangerous conditions, the document said. At the inquest the RFS conceded the crew could have been given more information, but the experienced airmen knew enough to make informed decisions about flying that day. During a brief Supreme Court hearing in late June, Justice Richard Cavanagh was told Ms McBeth and Ms Hudson were no longer represented by large compensation firm Shine Lawyers. The women engaged separate lawyers and were seeking to serve fresh expert reports more than two years after the case was first filed. Barrister Greg O'Mahoney, representing Coulson Aviation, said there was a long history of non-compliance with service orders in the case and a large volume of evidence available from the inquest. But Mr O'Mahoney and Nicholas Newton, the barrister representing the RFS, acknowledged the case would fall apart if the women's new lawyers were not allowed to serve the fresh reports. Justice Cavanagh granted leave for the families' legal teams to file new expert reports on liability by September. "(This is) obviously a tragic, difficult case ... a complex case," the judge said. He set down a 10-day hearing in June 2026.
Associated Press
19-03-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
ElectraLith Appoints Vincent D. McBeth Vice President
Summary: Highly regarded executive, distinguished Naval Officer, and White House Fellow joins ElectraLith in its first executive appointment outside of Australia, signaling an increasing focus on the US and DLE-R's ability to deliver critical mineral independence. Melbourne, Victoria--(Newsfile Corp. - March 19, 2025) - Melbourne-based ElectraLith Pty Ltd ('ElectraLith') today announced the appointment of Vincent D. McBeth as Vice President - North America. McBeth's appointment follows the December announcement of ElectraLith's oversubscribed Series A capital raise, comprising a world class investor syndicate. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: As Vice President - North America, McBeth will oversee all aspects of ElectraLith's activities in the region including commercial, operational, financial, media and investor matters. McBeth will also lead ElectraLith's engagements at the federal, state and local level throughout the US. McBeth's appointment marks ElectraLith's first executive hire outside of Australia and signals its increasing focus on the US market. McBeth will be based in Washington, DC and Smackover, Arkansas. McBeth joins ElectraLith from Sydney-based and In-Q-Tel-backed startup Q-CTRL where he led strategy and business development in the US and UK. Prior to Q-CTRL, McBeth was Managing Partner of Gartner, where he led the company's defense consulting practice. McBeth was previously Founder and President of The McBeth Group International, an independent defense technology consultancy. A graduate of the United States Naval Academy, McBeth is also a distinguished and exceptionally well-regarded former Naval Officer. In his 22 years of service, McBeth commanded two warships, was a White House Fellow, served as Aide to the Secretary of the Navy, and served as Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. ElectraLith CEO Charlie McGill said: 'We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Vince to the ElectraLith Team. Vince's ability to forge meaningful commercial, operational and government relationships at all levels will be the kingpin to executing our North America strategy.' McGill added: 'We are particularly excited for Vince to unlock DLE-R's proven ability to process otherwise unviable lithium reserves in the US, directly addressing the Trump Administration's objective of critical mineral independence.' McBeth commented: 'ElectraLith's disruptive DLE-R technology will drive rapid transformation in the lithium industry. DLE-R's ability to extract and refine lithium into battery grade lithium hydroxide or carbonate with no water or chemicals is a game changer, especially in the water-constrained Paradox Basin and Smackover Formation.' McBeth continued: 'DLE-R's ability to do this completely independent of China marks a turning point for US critical minerals independence.' McBeth is a graduate of the US Naval Academy and The Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University. About ElectraLith ElectraLith is unlocking a green future with a clean, versatile and cost-efficient method of extracting and refining lithium, the fundamental element of a sustainable future. ElectraLith's cutting-edge DLE-R technology revolutionises the Direct Lithium Extraction ('DLE') and refining industry by extracting and producing battery-grade lithium hydroxide or carbonate in a single, scalable and modular step. As opposed to other DLE processes, DLE-R fully eliminates the need for water and chemicals and can run entirely on renewable energy. ElectraLith is based in Melbourne, Australia. Person: Craig Regan
