3 Lost in Helicopter Crash Are Mourned

Three Southern California Edison employees presumed dead after their company helicopter crashed into the ocean last week were remembered Wednesday by hundreds of their colleagues, who crammed into a cavernous company garage and presented personal tributes to their bosses and friends.

Despite an audience of nearly 900, the hourlong service was remarkably intimate, with photographs, flowers and dozens of impromptu speeches from employees who wanted to share stories about the crash victims.

“It’s amazing how many lives these three people have touched,” Edison President John Bryson said.

Shortly before the ceremony began, company officials made public the names of the employees who were on board the helicopter Friday. Sandra Brandligt, 33, of Whittier; David Peacor, 51, of Vista, and pilot Gorden Hodges, 65, of Corona were on their way to an early-morning business meeting on Santa Catalina Island when the crash occurred just off Huntington Beach.

It was a routine flight for Hodges, a friendly, gentle man whose smile “could make your whole day,” said friend and colleague Jim Harding. “He loved what he was doing so much. His life was about family, faith and flying.”

When Hodges celebrated his 25th year with Edison six years ago, he summed up his contentment in a way that was fondly remembered Wednesday: “To love what you do, and know that it matters, what could be more fun?”

Brandligt and Peacor were mid-level managers who, despite their titles and responsibilities, had a way of “making people want to work with them,” said Steve Frank, who supervised Brandligt in the company’s executive development program.

“She had a great sense of humor, even during those early meetings when she would always remind me that she wasn’t much of a morning person,” he said, drawing a burst of laughter. “But in my relationship with her, it was never exactly clear who was learning from whom. She was a bright, bright star.”

Peacor, who managed operations in Edison’s remote areas, including Catalina, displayed respect for employees on all levels, said Sylvester Bland Jr., an Ontario field service representative who wears an Edison uniform and walks the neighborhoods, disconnecting the electricity at delinquent customers’ homes.

“Every time I saw him, he always remembered my name,” Bland told the group Wednesday. “I’d see this dressed-up guy walk by and he’d say, ‘Hey, Sly,’ and I’d be like, ‘Wow, he knows my name. . . . Who is that guy?’ It’s a little thing, maybe, but it went a long way. He made people feel special.”

Inclement weather suspended an ongoing search for the victims Wednesday. While Coast Guard rescuers called off their search Saturday, one day after the crash, Edison officials hired an independent crew to continue the effort. Advanced infrared equipment was brought in to help, and so far, the private crew has combed about 10 square miles of the ocean floor, said spokesman Steven Conroy.

Several pieces of debris, but no bodies, have been found.