Law Enforcement Talk: True Crime and Trauma Stories

Actor on a Fatal Helicopter Crash: How His Life Changed

September 13, 2026·40 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

Actor on a Fatal Helicopter Crash: How His Life Changed. He escaped the doomed aircraft moments before takeoff. What happened next triggered years of depression and inspired the question that rebuilt his life. The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast social media like their Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , Medium and other social media platforms. Kurek Ashley was living the life many aspiring performers only dream about. The Podcast is available for free on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast website, also on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, iHeartradio and most major podcast platforms. #LawEnforcementTalk #Free #Podcast #Radio The retired actor now living in Australia was working in the Philippines on Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection, an action movie starring Chuck Norris. He was surrounded by friends, building a Hollywood career and looking toward a promising future. Supporting articles about this and much more from Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast in platforms like Medium , Blogspot and Linkedin. Then, on May 16, 1989, everything changed. Ashley had recently stepped out of a helicopter being used during filming. The aircraft took off without him to perform a low-level aerial maneuver, but it never completed the mission. The helicopter suddenly veered, plunged into a ravine and burst into flames. Four people died in the immediate aftermath. A fifth member of the production later died from his injuries. Ashley escaped the aircraft without a physical injury, but he could not escape what happened next. His close friend, key grip Mike Graham, died in his arms while being transported to the hospital. The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast, is available on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and other major podcast platforms. The interview is also featured across Facebook and Instagram. For Ashley, surviving was only the beginning. A Hollywood Movie Set Became the Scene of a Tragedy The fatal helicopter crash happened near Tagaytay in the Philippines during production of the Chuck Norris film. Actor on a Fatal Helicopter Crash: How His Life Changed. The aircraft was carrying eight people when it went down near a large unfinished mansion. The helicopter fell approximately 40 feet into a ravine before erupting in flames. The crash initially claimed four lives: key grip Mike Graham, gaffer Don Marshall, cinematographer Gadi Danzig and Filipino pilot Jojo Imperial. Actor and stunt performer Geoff Brewer later died from his injuries, bringing the final death toll to five. Contemporary reports confirmed the four initial deaths, while the film’s production history records Brewer’s later death. Three other people aboard the helicopter survived with serious injuries. Chuck Norris was not on the aircraft. Ashley had been on the helicopter shortly before it departed. That one decision, to step out before takeoff, separated him from the friends and colleagues who were carried into the ravine. The episode is available across major platforms including their website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, with highlights shared across their Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn profiles. It was the type of moment that can divide a life into two distinct parts: everything before the crash and everything after it. He Survived Without Physical Injuries, but the Trauma Followed Him Ashley walked away physically unharmed, but the emotional and psychological consequences were devastating. The former Hollywood actor struggled with severe depression for approximately two years. He had witnessed the sudden deaths of people he knew and loved. One of his closest friends had died in his arms. The questions that follow a traumatic survival can be relentless. Why did he get out of the helicopter? Why did he survive when others did not? What was he supposed to do with the life he had been given? Those questions could not be answered by another movie role or another achievement. The success he had once pursued no longer held

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