By James Duncan Davidson/O'Reilly Media, Inc.
A settlement has been reached in the high-profile lawsuit stemming from the fatal crash of a private aircraft owned by Google co-founder Sergey Brin. The incident, which occurred in May 2023, resulted in the deaths of pilots Dean Rushfeldt and Lance Maclean when the twin-engine seaplane crashed into the Pacific Ocean off the California coast. The aircraft was en route from Santa Rosa, California, to Brin’s exclusive island in Fiji when it went down.
According to court filings submitted on May 9 in Santa Clara County Superior Court, the settlement remains subject to the exchange of closing documents and the disbursement of funds. Both parties anticipate that the formal resolution process will be completed within the next 60 days.
Details of the Legal Claims
The family of Dean Rushfeldt filed a wrongful death lawsuit in July 2023, alleging the crash was caused by faulty fuel equipment aboard the aircraft. The suit named Brin, his family office Bayshore Global, and several associated entities as defendants, accusing them of negligence that led to the fatal incident. Initially, Google was also named in the lawsuit, but it was dismissed from the case in February at the request of the plaintiffs. Despite being removed from the list of defendants, Google was included in the final settlement agreement.
The aircraft involved in the crash was a Viking Air Ltd DHC-6 Twin Otter Series 400, which reportedly attempted to return to Half Moon Bay shortly before it crashed. The incident has drawn scrutiny over how the aircraft was maintained and whether modifications made to it contributed to the crash.
Second Lawsuit Filed by Pilot’s Widow
In a separate legal action, Maggie Olarte Maclean, the widow of pilot Lance Maclean, filed her own lawsuit against Brin and affiliated parties. Maclean, a former Navy pilot with extensive international flying experience, had served as a longtime personal pilot for Brin. Her lawsuit alleged that the aircraft was equipped with an “unauthorised and illegally installed auxiliary fuel system” that failed during the flight, leaving the plane unable to access critical fuel reserves.
She also accused Brin and his representatives of impeding her efforts to recover her husband’s remains, claiming they intentionally left his body at the crash site along with evidence that might link them to wrongdoing in the aircraft’s configuration or operation.
Although discussions to resolve the matter were reportedly underway as of November, it remains uncertain whether a settlement has been finalized in that case.
Background on Sergey Brin
Sergey Brin, who was born in Moscow and immigrated to the United States with his family as a child, co-founded Google alongside Larry Page in 1998 while the two were graduate students at Stanford University. He played an instrumental role in developing Google’s foundational PageRank algorithm and later spearheaded several high-tech initiatives under the company’s Google X division, including the development of self-driving cars and augmented reality applications.
The crash and ensuing lawsuits have cast a spotlight on Brin’s private ventures and the risks associated with the operation of privately owned aircraft used for intercontinental travel.
