Google Cofounder Settles Wrongful Death Lawsuit of Private Pilot

Viking Air Twin Otter Series 400 crashed in the Pacific Ocean, killing two pilots.

Caleb Revill

Friday, May 16, 2025 at 09:30 AM ET

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Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

Viking Air aircraft [Courtesy: Shutterstock | Jordan Tan]

Key Takeaways:

Google cofounder Sergey Brin and his associated entities settled a wrongful death lawsuit with the family of pilot Dean Rushfeldt, who died in a May 2023 plane crash.
The crash, involving a private aircraft owned by Brin's companies, was caused by a critical failure of the ferry fuel system, leading to the engines ceasing operation over the Pacific.
The lawsuit alleged negligence, negligent hiring, and improper installation of the fuel system, citing these as contributing factors to the pilot's death and the failure to recover bodies.

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Google cofounder Sergey Brin has settled a wrongful death lawsuit with the family of a pilot killed in a crash while flying a private aircraft owned by Brin, Bayshore Global Management, and Google.

Dean Rushfeldt was one of two pilots killed in the crash while transporting a Viking Air DHC-6 Twin Otter Series 400 from Schulz-Sonoma County Airport (KSTS) in Santa Rosa, California, to Inouye International Airport in Honolulu (KHNL) in May 2023. No other passengers were on board the airplane.