The widow of the pilot who died in a horrific plane crash over the Pacific is suing the Google co-founder because his private plane was allegedly “illegally built.”
Sergey Brin’s twin-engine plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean on May 20, 2023, while attempting to return to Half Moon Bay after heading to the businessman’s private island in Fiji.
The two people on board, both pilots, died as a result of the fuel system malfunction that caused the plane to crash.
María Magdalena Olarte Maclean, widow of pilot Lance Maclean, 65, has now filed a complaint against Brin for wrongful death and interference with the recovery of the remains.
The fuel system was installed illegally, lacked proper documentation and was installed “from rote,” the complaint alleges.
The widow of the pilot who died in a horrific plane crash in the Pacific is suing the Google co-founder because his private plane was allegedly “illegally built”
Olarte Maclean’s lawsuit seeks at least $150,000 in damages – including emotional and financial – following the death of her husband Lance Maclean, 65.
María Magdalena Olarte Maclean, widow of pilot Lance Maclean, 65, has now filed a complaint against Brin for wrongful death and interference with the recovery of the remains.
The plane crashed while attempting to return to Half Moon Bay after heading to the businessman’s private island in Fiji (pictured)
He has named Google, the company responsible for maintaining the plane along with its director of aviation, the company that installed the fuel system, and Brin’s investment company as co-defendants in the complaint.
Even though Brin was not on the plane, Olarte Maclean is accusing Brin’s agents of lying to him by saying they could not legally recover the bodies because of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration limitations, which do not exist, according to the complaint. .
The widow claims Brin delayed the recovery of her husband’s body and the plane’s wreckage to bury evidence that would prove the fuel system was installed illegally.
The plane was headed to the private island of Brin in Fiji before crashing over the Pacific Ocean. Brin Island is Cast Away Island, also known as Monuriki.
Both Brin and his Google co-founder Larry Page own islands in Fiji, Page’s being the remote and beautiful island of Tavarua.
Olarte Maclean’s lawsuit seeks at least $150,000 in damages, including emotional and financial damages.
Assaid the spokesperson for Brin’s family office NBC, ‘We are deeply saddened by the loss of the crew that piloted the de Havilland DCH6-400 Twin Otter aircraft, and our condolences remain with the families. “We cannot comment on pending legal actions at this time.”
Brin finalized his divorce from Nicole Shanahan, a lawyer and businesswoman, following accusations of her relationship with Elon Musk.
Both Brin and his Google co-founder Larry Page own islands in Fiji, with Page’s being the remote and beautiful island of Tavarua (pictured).
A map shows the area off the coast of Northern California where the plane crashed.
The divorce filing came just a month after allegations surfaced about Shanahan’s relationship with the Tesla CEO, who is a longtime friend of Brin.
Both Musk and Shanahan denied any romantic relationship, but the Wall Street Journal reported that Musk’s friendship with Brin was “broken” by the “alleged affair.”
the heartbroken widow criticized the tech billionaire over her husband’s body still languishing at the bottom of the Pacific in June 2023.
Olarte Maclean, who is also a pilot, condemned the Google guru, telling DailyMail.com: ‘I could have done so much more. I’ve been suffering for weeks.
Shortly after the accident, Bayshore Global said in a statement: “We send our deepest condolences to the families of the crew on board. We are providing assistance to the families and will continue to do so as long as necessary.”
Brin resigned as chairman of Google parent company Alphabet in December 2019, but remains a board member and majority shareholder.
The widow was also heartbroken that the Coast Guard did not release the two pilots when the swimmer reached the plane, which crashed in Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco.
He was able to pull the leg of one of the airmen, but was unable to free either of them from the cockpit without fully entering, which the Coast Guard told DailyMail.com is against protocol.
Maclean’s plane took off from Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa, California, at 8:05 a.m. on May 20, initially bound for Honolulu, Hawaii, on the first leg of a journey to Fiji.
Maclean and María met in their native Colombia 22 years ago while she was ferrying VIPs and presidential hopefuls around the South American country and he was a commercial pilot.
The plane took off from Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa, California, at 8:05 a.m. on May 20, initially bound for Honolulu, Hawaii, on the first leg of a journey to Fiji.
Maria said she was told it was intended to be used in the South Pacific for Brin or his guests to go from island to island. The tycoon had already been on vacation there before.
But flight tracking records reveal that the plane returned to the Santa Rosa area four hours later with a suspected fuel shortage problem.
Olarte Maclean met her husband in her native Colombia 22 years ago while she was ferrying VIPs and presidential hopefuls around the South American country and he was a commercial pilot.
He flew Phantom fast planes during his five years in the Navy before taking on various roles in aviation, including hunting drug traffickers in South America and fighting wildfires in Montana. He also spent time in Afghanistan helping to train Air Force pilots.
The couple settled in Naples, Florida, where Lance grew up and went to high school, after marrying 17 years ago.
Maria described her last conversations with her husband that fateful day and her battle for his remains.
“Those flights of about ten hours over water always scare me,” he said. ‘As a pilot and as a wife, I am always afraid when my husband flies. So I follow him to see what’s going on.