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ONTARIO: Helicopter at Nipigon-area forest fire went out of control at 3,000 feet

The Transportation Safety Board says the pilot suffered serious injuries
Bell 214 ST large
The pilot of a Bell 214ST helicopter – similar to the one pictured here – suffered serious injuries on June 7, 2021 (stock photo)

NIPIGON, Ont. — The helicopter that collided with the ground in an incident near Nipigon last week went out of control at an altitude of 3,000 feet.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada released new information Wednesday about the June 7 collision.

It happened as the aircraft was returning to Nipigon after conducting forest fire suppression operations for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.

The TSB said the pilot suffered serious injuries when his Bell 214ST collided with terrain in a wooded area about 12 kilometres northeast of the community.

He was rescued by another helicopter and taken to hospital.

The aircraft was operated by Helicopter Transport Services (Canada) of Carp, Ontario.

It sustained substantial damage in the crash.

The TSB said it plans to deploy a team of investigators to gather information on-site, but is still working out the details of the deployment.

 





Gary Rinne

About the Author: Gary Rinne

Born and raised in Thunder Bay, Gary started part-time at Tbnewswatch in 2016 after retiring from the CBC
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