Fatal Plane Crash Carried Kiewit Crew

A deadly plane crash on BC's southern coast on Nov 16, 2008, in which seven people died, was carrying 5 employees of the Peter Kiewit & Sons construction company, responsible for the Sea-to-Sky highway expansion.

Kiewit CEO Honors B.C. Plane Crash Victims

November 20, 2008

Everyone at Kiewit continues to cope with the tragic news out of British Columbia last Sunday when five of our men died in an airplane accident. They were enroute to the Plutonic Power Hydroelectric Project when their seaplane crashed into a mountain island. One of our men survived and is on the long road to recovery from serious burns and trauma. Another man on the flight who died was employed by our primary Caterpillar supplier. The pilot, who had many thousands of flight hours, also died.

The men who we lost were part of our family. They demonstrated the kind of dedication and spirit of enthusiasm that makes our company special. They saw a challenge in the project that lay ahead and were willing to tackle it. They knew that they were part of building something that would make a positive impact on the region and that they had every reason to be proud.

Two of the men were equipment operators, members of the Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC). Jerry Burns had been with us for 4 years and had most recently been working on the Sea-to-Sky Highway project. He was just beginning his work at Plutonic. Jerry was 42 and lived in the Squamish, BC, area with his wife and 2 children.

Matt Sawchenko had worked with us for 1 year on the Sea-to-Sky Highway Project and was also just getting started at Plutonic. Matt was 26 and living in North Vancouver. Matt’s girlfriend is expecting his first child.

Our staff members who were lost also brought diverse backgrounds to Kiewit. Kyle Adams was single and moved from his hometown in New Brunswick to work in Edmonton at the District Office as Maintenance Engineer. He joined Kiewit just one year ago but had already become well known for his generosity and genuine concern for the needs of others. Kyle was 29.

Ajay Cariappa had been with us since March, 2000 and was 34 years old. A native of India, Ajay became a Canadian citizen and most recently called St. Albert, Alberta, home. Ajay was a Project Engineer at Plutonic and had been with the project since its beginning. Ajay has a widely known reputation as being an extremely positive and optimistic person, who found his work to be fun. Ajay was a Kiewit Stockholder.

Waldemar Klemens, known as Wally, joined us just this past June. At 24, Wally lived with his girlfriend in Burnaby when not working and staying in the camp as an Engineer at Plutonic. In his short tenure with us, Wally had already become very popular with his coworkers and was known as a high energy Kiewit guy who brought a big dose of fun to work.

Our collective thoughts and prayers for a quick recovery go to Thomas Wilson, the survivor of the crash, who was just recently promoted to Area Business Manager. Tom’s story of survival, his horrific climb down the mountain after being injured and badly burned, is a testament to his personal strength and character. Tom is a stockholder, known for expressing his pride in our company, and we are all very proud of him. We all wait anxiously for Tom to heal and return to us.

CLAC has established trust funds in honor of Matt and Jerry. For information about how to contribute to those funds, visit their website at www.clac.ca. A memorial service is planned for Jerry in Squamish on Monday. Other services are still pending given the work that must still be completed by the Coroner.

Today at 3:00PM Pacific Standard Time, all projects and offices in the Western Canada District will stand down for a moment of remembrance and silence for these members of our Kiewit family. All of our districts, projects and departments may also honor these men in some way and express our collective concern for our Western Canada District coworkers. Thankfully our company has never faced a tragedy of this magnitude and indeed our hopes and prayers are that we never do so again.

Messages of condolence have been received throughout North America from clients and partners. Those are being compiled into commemorative books to be presented to the families. As a company, we have publically expressed our appreciation for the valiant efforts of the first-responders, investigators and other public servants who have provided exemplary service. We continue to provide support services to the families, many of whom are traveling great distances to deal with these events. Our Employee Assistance Program is, of course, available to anyone needing help with these and other matters.

As pertinent information becomes available, we will find appropriate ways to disseminate it. In the meantime, please continue to keep the families, friends and coworkers of these fine Kiewit men in your prayers.

Sincerely,
Bruce E. Grewcock

Bruce E. Grewcock
President and Chief Executive Officer