A helicopter company reported that a helicopter crash near north Vancouver Island on Tuesday morning resulted in two fatalities and one injury. The crash occurred during forestry operations in Loughborough Inlet, as confirmed by Sean Smyth, the general manager of West Coast Helicopters. One of the deceased individuals was an experienced pilot who was highly valued within the company. The passengers on board were engineers working for a forestry operations company.
The details surrounding the crash remain unclear, and Smyth emphasized that the company is committed to providing transparent information about the incident. The Victoria-based Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) received an emergency locator transmitter signal at approximately 6:30 a.m. PT, prompting a response from a Cormorant helicopter and a Kingfisher aircraft from 19 Wing Comox. Three individuals were rescued and transported to local health services.
B.C. Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) responded to the incident at Stafford Lake near Bute Inlet with two air ambulances and a ground ambulance. BCEHS stated that emergency medical care was provided to one patient who was airlifted to Canadian Forces Base in Comox and then transferred to the hospital in serious but stable condition. The Transportation Safety Board is sending a team of investigators to the accident site, scheduled to arrive the following morning.