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
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
BREAKING Mounties will not be charged in shooting death of B.C. Indigenous man
Three Mounties in British Columbia will not face charges in the killing of a 38-year-old Indigenous man on Vancouver Island in 2021.
Canada's favourite sport to watch is hockey, survey shows
The 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs have already delivered a fever level of fan excitement in Canada.
Douglas DC-4 plane with 2 people on board crashes into river outside Fairbanks, Alaska
A Douglas C-54 Skymaster airplane crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks on Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers said.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
“It's just so hard to let it go. I mean, everyone is telling me, ‘you have to move on,’ but I know someone is not here [anymore]. So I don't know how I will move on." That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
NASA hears from Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, after months of quiet
NASA has finally heard back from Voyager 1 again in a way that makes sense. The most distant spacecraft from Earth hadn't sent home any understandable data since last November.