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

Jonathan Udall, who died in hospital days before his wife, Ellie Milward, could have survived if Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters and the manufacturer Airbus Helicopters had not negligently failed to install a crash-resistant fuel tank, according to the lawsuit filed in Nevada on Friday.

The honeymooning couple died in hospital as a result of burns sustained in the 10 February crash that killed their friends Becky Dobson, her boyfriend Stuart Hill and his brother Jason.

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

After the lawsuit was filed, lawyer Gary Robb said: “Mr and Mrs Udall deeply grieve for the loss of their son but their primary motivation now is to prevent anyone else from having to suffer the deadly burn injuries as their son did.

“If this helicopter had been properly equipped with a crash-resistant fuel system, it would have allowed this young man to walk away injury-free.”

They are also suing the pilot, Scott Booth, who was taken to hospital; in critical condition, accusing him of negligence for crashing. Also named in the lawsuit are the Papillon directors Brenda Halvorson and Elling Halvorson, president Geoff Edlund and chief operating officer John Becker. The family allege that they failed to ensure the helicopter was in a “safe and defect-free” condition.

They also accuse mechanic Matthew Hecker and its inspector Daniel Friedman of negligence over the state of the helicopter, in particular its tail rotor.

A coroner ruled that Jonathan Udall and Milward, 29, from Worthing, West Sussex, died of complications of thermal injury.

Dobson, 27, Stuart Hill, 30, and Jason Hill, 32, all from Worthing, died at the scene of multiple injuries. Their friend, Jennifer Barham, 39, was airlifted to Las Vegas’s University Medical Centre.

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

The lawsuit comes after it was announced that Papillon would fit 40 of the crash-resistant tanks to its fleet following the crash, which Robb called “too little, too late”.

Robb said he previously won a $38m (£28m) 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.