Crash Kills Soviet Cup Executive

The executive director of the Soviet Union’s first challenge for the America’s Cup was killed Friday in a helicopter crash during a skiing trip in the Soviet Union, a spokesman said.

Viktor Hendrikson, 52, and three others died when a Soviet army helicopter retrieving skiing equipment flew into the side of a mountain during a storm, said Douglas K. Smith, a San Diego spokesman for the Red Star Challenge, which represents the Ocean Racing Club of Leningrad.

Smith did not know the exact location of the crash. There was no answer at the Soviet Embassy in Washington, D.C., or consulate in San Francisco.

Hendrikson enjoyed skiing undeveloped peaks in Europe and Asia, Smith said. Skiers are taken to undeveloped areas by helicopter.

Hendrikson’s death “will leave a big hole in the syndicate. It won’t be crippling, but it’s terrible,” Smith said.

“He was the oldest of the group. The rest were in their 30s. He had a lot of experience . . . and was a stabilizing influence,” Smith said. “He spoke English very well, he was a scientist, and was very well thought of and was listened to.”

Hendrikson and two other members of the syndicate visited San Diego recently.

The Soviets had hoped to charter a yacht to prepare for the America’s Cup, but have been denied permission from the U.S. government to sail on San Diego Bay, Smith said.

While the diplomatic problems are being worked out, the syndicate will sail on the Baltic Sea this summer and hopes to set up a training base here in August or September, Smith said. The syndicate is currently working on a new boat in the International America’s Cup Class, which has replaced the 12-meter class.