Three days after a Canadian military helicopter with six crew members on board crashed into the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Greece, the Department of National Defence said Friday it has lost hope of finding any survivors.
The helicopter deployed on board Canadian frigate HMCS Fredericton was participating in NATO exercises when it suddenly crashed into the Ionian Sea about 80 kilometres west of Greek Island of Kefalonia.
“Today, the search and rescue efforts of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) officially transitioned into search and recovery efforts, following Wednesday’s tragic accident involving a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CH-148 Cyclone helicopter in the Mediterranean Sea,” the Canadian military said in a statement.
The body of Sub-Lt. Abbigail Cowbrough, a marine systems engineering officer, originally from Toronto, Ontario, was found on Wednesday almost immediately after the crash.
Starting from top left: Sub-Lt. Abbigail Cowbrough, a Maritime Systems Engineering Officer; Sub-Lt. Matthew Pyke, Naval Warfare Officer; Master Cpl. Matthew Cousins, Airborne Electronic Sensor Operator; Capt. Maxime Miron-Morin, Air Combat Systems Officer; Capt. Kevin Hagen, Pilot; Capt. Brenden Ian MacDonald, Pilot. (Canadian Armed Forces)
The missing five members who were aboard the aircraft are now officially considered missing and presumed deceased, the military said in a statement.
The missing crew members were identified as Capt. Brenden Ian MacDonald, pilot, originally from New Glasgow, Nova Scotia; Capt. Kevin Hagen, pilot, originally from Nanaimo, British Columbia; Capt. Maxime Miron-Morin, air combat systems officer, originally from Trois-Rivières, Québec; Sub-Lt. Matthew Pyke, naval warfare officer, originally from Truro, Nova Scotia and Master Cpl. Matthew Cousins, airborne electronic sensor operator, originally from Guelph, Ontario.
“Our thoughts are with all of the families and loved ones of these Canadian heroes, and with the entire Canadian Armed Forces, as they grieve this tragedy,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement.
“Every day these brave Canadians in uniform put themselves in harm’s way to keep our country and our citizens safe, and together we will honour their service to Canada and our closest allies.
“I express my deepest gratitude to all members of the Canadian Armed Forces, at home and overseas, for their dedicated service and sacrifice – our entire country is thankful.”
Trudeau also thanked NATO allies who worked side-by-side with Canadian sailors in the search for the missing crew.
The military said search crews had discovered additional remains at the crash site but they cannot be identified at this time.
“The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) will be doing everything possible over the next several days to confirm known details with the families,” the statement said.
NATO allies will be continuing recovery efforts at the scene as HMCS Fredericton departs for port in Italy, the statement said. The Canadian warship is expected to arrive in Italy the morning of May 2, 2020, local time.
A RCAF Flight Safety team will depart Canada today to investigate the circumstances of the accident and will begin their work immediately upon arrival, the statement said.
Air Detachment members aboard HMCS Fredericton conduct a transfer training exercise during Operation Reassurance at sea March 12, 2020, in this picture obtained from social media. Picture taken March 12, 2020. (Cpl. Simon Arcand/CANADIAN ARMED FORCES/via REUTERS)
The helicopter was deployed with HMCS Fredericton in the Mediterranean Sea as part of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 under Operation Reassurance.
Speaking at a press conference in Ottawa on Thursday, Gen. Jonathan Vance, Chief of Defence Staff, said the helicopter with call sign Stalker was participating in exercises along with Turkish and Italian navies off the coast of Greece and was returning to land on the Canadian frigate when contact with the aircraft was lost at about 6:52 pm local time.
A few minutes later, Canadian sailors noticed flares in the water and immediately began search and rescue operations assisted by Turkish and Italian vessels.
Vance said the voice and data flight recorders have been recovered and are being flown to Canada for analysis.
Vance said the flight recorders broke off the helicopter and floated up to the surface but the rest of the wreckage may be at the depth of about 3,000 metres.
The flares are deployed automatically, Vance said.
“This is a time of agony for all families, friends, and fellow crew members. There is nothing worse than sending your shipmates over the horizon and losing contact,” he said.
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