Robert Hagger, Fluke Executive; Among 91 Killed In India Jet Crash

Robert Hagger, international regional sales manager for John Fluke Manufacturing Co., was among the 91 people killed Feb. 14 when a 2-month-old India Airlines Airbus A320 jetliner crashed in Bangalore, India.

The 39-year-old executive was on a two-week business trip to several Indian cities and would have returned home Sunday.

Cause of the jet crash has not been determined. Fluke officials here were notified of his death by their resident representative in India.

Funeral services for Hagger were scheduled for today in Everett.

He had worked for Fluke since September 1978, first in Britain, and since 1985 at Fluke's Everett headquarters.

``He started out as manager of our calibration lab in Watford, a London suburb,'' said Craig Miller, Hagger's boss and manager of international operations for Fluke.

``He became so good with customers and in sales support that we brought him over here to lead calibration seminars,'' Miller said. About 18 months ago Hagger moved into his latest job, which also involved sales support.

``He was a tall, thin man with a great sense of humor. If you created a mold for the kind of person you'd want in this business, he'd be it. He knew the technical side, he had great people skills, was very dependable and had good instincts for the market,'' Miller said.

Hagger was born April 17, 1950, in Watford. Before joining Fluke he had worked in and managed calibration labs for the British government at Farnborough and in Kent.

His wife, Valerie Anne Hagger, said work and home were Hagger's life. He was ``dedicated to work and was extremely happy here since coming from England,'' she said. Hagger's hobbies included woodworking and gardening. Mrs. Hagger described him as a ``fantastic, wonderful, magnificent good husband.''

Survivors, besides his wife, include a daughter, Claire, of Everett; his mother, Bettina Hagger; and a brother, Stuart Hagger, both of England.

The family suggests memorials to the American Heart Association in lieu of flowers.