Findings of investigation into cause of Brantford helicopter crash released
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has released its investigation report into a July 2021 helicopter accident in Brantford.
In the early morning on Jul. 25, 2021, a Robinson R44 helicopter operated by Apex Helicopters Inc. departed from a field on the outskirts of Brantford on a reconnaissance flight.
After the reconnaissance flight, the pilot began to spray, which requires flying at a height of less than 10 feet above the crops. At the end of the first spray run, TSB said the helicopter struck wires, became uncontrollable and crashed approximately 270 feet from the wire strike location.
The pilot, who was the sole occupant on board, was seriously injured and the helicopter was destroyed.
The investigation found that the wires were lower than other nearby wires and were along the edge of the corn field. Additionally, the eastbound portion of the reconnaissance flight path and occurrence flight path were both conducted directly towards the sun, said TSB in a media release. The sun’s glare, possibly combined with spray fluid or debris, affected the pilot’s visibility.
The investigation also determined that the pilot’s exposure to the risk of wire strike likely altered the pilot’s risk perception and negatively influenced the thoroughness of the reconnaissance.
The combination of the ineffective reconnaissance, location of wires, and impaired visibility is believed to be what resulted in the pilot not seeing the wires during the first spray run.
Wearing a flight helmet, fastening the lap belt and shoulder harness helped to reduce the severity of the injuries to the pilot.
The board said it was not aware of any safety action taken following the incident.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.