Brian L. Carnell

1927 - 2014

Brian Leyland Carnell, 87, died peacefully on Saturday (July 26, 2014) at home in Lake Alfred, Florida. He and his twin sister Jean (Carnell) Connew were born in Halifax, Yorkshire, England on May 2, 1927, children of the late Hilda (Smith) Carnell and Thomas Gilbert Carnell. He received his B.S. in Engineering from London University in 1946 and began his career at the British Aircraft Corporation in 1949. He immigrated to Montreal in 1951, where he worked at Canadair, Ltd. Mr. Carnell met Bernice Sutcliffe in England shortly before he immigrated to Canada. She later joined him in Montreal and they were married in 1954. Mr. and Mrs. Carnell immigrated to the United States in 1955 and Mr. Carnell began his 37 year career at Sikorsky Aircraft in Stratford. He earned his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Yale University in 1964. He worked as a Stress Analyst and advanced to Structural Design Engineer in 1971. In 1973 he became Sikorsky's Senior Crashworthiness Engineer, a position he held until his retirement in 1992. He was responsible for the crashworthiness of all Sikorsky helicopters, including the UH-60AL Black Hawk, the SH-60B Seahawk and its derivative HH-60H/HH-60J models, the VHS-60, the RAH-66 Comanche, and the ACAP Advanced Composite Airframe Program. Mr. Carnell was awarded five patents: one for helicopter transmission design improvements, one for the suspension system of United Aircraft's Turbo Train, and three for designs of crashworthy cyclic control sticks for helicopter flight control systems. He received the SAFE Association's M. P. Koch Award in 1992, in recognition of the advancement of hardware for Safety and Survival Equipment. In 1993 he received Sikorsky Aircraft's Donald L. Ferris Lifetime Achievement Design Award for contributions to the practical application of crashworthiness concepts in helicopter design. Mr. Carnell was predeceased by his beloved wife Bernice Carnell and sister Jean Connew. He leaves his daughter Camille Carnell Pronovost and her husband Edward Pronovost of Lake Alfred, FL; his daughter Marguerite Carnell Rodney, her husband David Rodney, and his granddaughters Catherine and Meredith Rodney of Simsbury; and many nieces and nephews in England and France. Besides his distinguished career, Mr. Carnell will be remembered for his sunny disposition and kind heart. He will truly be missed by those whose lives he touched. The funeral service will be held on Saturday, August 2, at 11:00 a.m. at the First Church of Christ, 250 Main Street, Wethersfield. Calling hours will be one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will follow at the Rose Hill Memorial Park in Rocky Hill. Rose Hill Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.