The engineering boss, who ran his family firm Amcanu in Burry Port, has been remembered as an “unstoppable force” following the crash of a Cirrus SR22T near Leukerbad in Switzerland’s Valais canton.
A British millionaire businessman has died alongside two friends after the light aircraft they were travelling in crashed in the Swiss Alps. Owain Davies, 55, from South Wales, was one of three people killed when a Cirrus SR22T came down near the town of Leukerbad in the southern canton of Valais on Tuesday morning. Davies, a father of two, headed the engineering firm Amcanu, which his father, Spencer Davies OBE, founded in 1975. One of the two other victims was also British, and formal identification of both remains under way.
‘An unstoppable force’ remembered by his company
Amcanu, based in Burry Port, South Wales, paid tribute to Davies, who took over the running of the business in 2000. In a statement, the company said he had been “a familiar face on the factory floor, an unstoppable force, a mentor and, for many people who have spent a significant part of their working lives at Amcanu a very good friend.” It added: “Above everything else, he was a husband, father and grandfather.”
The firm described Davies as “a real character” who was “determined, strong-willed, spirited, reflective and immensely proud,” noting that his professional colleagues did not always know the extent of his passion for flying. “There was another side of Owain that not everybody knew about. He loved flying,” the statement said. “Owain was an experienced pilot and aviation was a genuine passion – technically, socially and simply for the freedom and enjoyment it gave him. He had a large circle of friends within the aviation community and would fly his helicopter whenever the opportunity arose. He didn’t make a great show of it.”
Amcanu confirmed that Davies had been travelling as a passenger alongside two of his closest friends at the time of the crash. “The circumstances of his death are devastating, but flying was something that brought Owain enormous happiness throughout his life,” the company said, adding: “Owain was admired. He was respected. He was sometimes formidable. He was enormously caring. He was a husband, a dad, a grandad, a son, a mentor, a leader and a friend… And he will be missed more than we can possibly express.”
Trustee of Wales Air Ambulance Charity
Amcanu also described Davies as “a proud Welshman and Welsh speaker,” and confirmed he had served as a trustee of the Wales Air Ambulance Charity since 2017. Dr Kyle Jacques, chair of trustees at the charity, said Davies had made “a significant contribution to the Wales Air Ambulance and the vital service we provide.” He added: “Owain was a valued colleague and friend, whose loyalty and generosity of spirit meant so much to us. He will be greatly missed.”
Investigation under way
According to officials, the aircraft took off from Sion airport in the Rhône Valley and crashed into a mountain slope approximately ten minutes into the flight. Firefighters, police and helicopter rescue teams attended the scene, though the cause of the crash has not yet been established. The Swiss Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation, alongside separate inquiries by Valais Police and the Office of the Attorney General.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office confirmed it was “providing support to the families of two British nationals who died in Switzerland,” adding: “Our thoughts remain with the families during this difficult time.”
Family pays tribute
Davies’s son, Aron Davies, said the family had “suffered an unimaginable loss,” describing his father as “driven, determined and someone who simply didn’t accept that a problem was too big to solve.”
