Report finds pilot overlooked steel cables before fatal Labrador crash
HALIFAX — The pilot of a helicopter that smashed to the ground and fatally pinned one of its passengers underneath failed to notice steel cables as he lifted off from a Labrador helipad, says a new report.
The Transportation Safety Board released its findings Wednesday into the accident in a remote area southwest of Rigolet on July 30, 2015, that killed one man, seriously injured the experienced pilot and left the other passenger with minor hand and head injuries.
The helicopter was destroyed, with pictures from the rocky site showing the cabin roof cleaved off and the windscreen and right-hand cabin door destroyed due to the force of the impact. About 240 litres of jet fuel also spilled from the single-engine, turbine-powered aircraft, but there was no fire.
The board says the aircraft, operated by Canadian Helicopters Ltd., had flown into the rugged area in Moliak to do site maintenance at Bell Aliant microwave tower installations.