Actor Christian Oliver, his two daughters killed in Caribbean plane crash
Christian Oliver, best known for his roles in films including ‘Speed Racer’ and ‘Valkyrie’, died on Thursday along with his two young daughters when his small plane crashed into the water off the coast of a Caribbean island, Deadline reported.
Oliver was 51. Robert Sachs, the plane's owner and pilot, died in the crash as well. Oliver's daughters, Madita, 12, and Annik, 10, were among the deceased.
Authorities said the single-engine aircraft crashed on its way to neighbouring St. Lucia on Thursday afternoon after taking off from JF Mitchell Airport in Bequia, a small island in the Caribbean nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
"Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft experienced difficulties and nose-dived into the ocean," the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force said in a statement provided to media outlets.
"Fishermen and divers from Paget Farm went to the scene of the incident in their boats to render assistance." According to officials, all four bodies have been recovered.
The cause of the crash is still being investigated. According to local reports, the pilot radioed the tower shortly after takeoff to advise that he was having problems and would be returning. That was the plane's final transmission.
Oliver had just finished filming the final sequences of his latest picture, ‘Forever Hold Your Peace’, directed by Nick Lyon and co-starring Bai Ling.
Lyon took to Instagram on the final day of filming to pay tribute to Oliver, writing, “This is our 5th film together. @christianoliverofficial and me produced this one, and this is our last day of filming!”
“We talked about producing a film together for years and finally did it! Thank you for being a great colleague, actor and friend @christianoliverofficial. #foreverholdyourpeace”
On Saturday, he paid tribute to the late actor on Instagram wrting, “Rest In Peace my friend @christianoliverofficial.”
Oliver, who was born in Germany, collaborated with Steven Soderbergh on ‘The Good German’, opposite Cate Blanchett and George Clooney, as well as with Brian Singer and Tom Cruise on ‘Valkyrie’ and the Wachowskis on ‘Speed Racer’ in 2008.
His TV credits include ‘Saved By the Bell: The New Class’, and his most recent film was ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’.