The parents of a newlywed groom who was among five Britons to die a helicopter crash in the Grand Canyon are suing the tour operator in a wrongful death lawsuit.

Jonathan Udall and his new wife wife Ellie both died in hospital from their injuries after the February 10 crash which also killed three of their friends.

Mr Udall's family say the crash the couple's lives could have been saved if Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters had not negligently failed to install a crash-resistant fuel tank in a lawsuit filed in Nevada on Friday.

Lawyers for Philip and Marlene Udall, of Southampton, claim their 31-year-old son would not have sustained "severe and catastrophic" burns if the system had been fitted to the Airbus EC130 B4.

They are asking for in excess of 195,000 dollars (£141,000) in damages, as well as punitive damages and a jury trial.

After the lawsuit was filed, lawyer Gary Robb said the lawsuit was aimed at preventing other deaths.

Both Mr Udall and his 29-year-old wife died from severe burns caused when the helicopter burst into flames after hitting the ground.

The couple's friends Becky Dobson, her boyfriend Stuart Hill and his brother Jason Hill all perished at the scene.

Mr Udal's family are suing pilot Scott Booth, who was hospitalised in a critical condition, accusing him of negligence for crashing.

The lawsuit also names Papillon directors Brenda Halvorson and Elling Halvorson, president Geoff Edlund and chief operating officer John Becker.

The family allege they failed to ensure the helicopter was in a "safe and defect free" condition. They say mechanic Matthew Hecker and its inspector Daniel Friedman of negligence over the state of the helicopter, in particular its tail rotor.

The aircraft's manufacturer Airbus Helicopters is also accused of failing to install the crash-resistant fuel system in to the lawsuit filed on Friday.

A coroner ruled Mr Udall and Ms Milward, 29, from Worthing, West Sussex, died of "complications of thermal injury".

Ms Dobson, 27, Stuart Hill, 30, and Jason Hill, 32, all from Worthing, were said to have died at the scene of "multiple injuries".

Their friend, Jennifer Barham, 39, was also rescued and airlifted to Las Vegas's University Medical Centre.

The lawsuit comes after it was announced Papillon would fit 40 of the crash-resistant tanks to its fleet in the wake of the crash, which Mr Robb called "too little, too late".

Mr Robb said he previously won a 38 million dollar (#28 million) lawsuit for Chana Daskal, who suffered burns over 85% of her body, having been the sole survivor of a Papillon crash in the Grand Canyon 17 years ago.

The crash-resistant fuel system is not currently mandatory in the US for helicopters certified before 1994.