Deadly military helicopter crash investigation could take a year

Canada’s Minister of Defence, Harjit Sajjan told a news conference yesterday that although the flight data and cockpit voice recorders were recovered as they had broken free from the aircraft, the investigation into the military helicopter crash into the sea on April 29, could take more than a year.

The Cyclone Ch-148 helicopter with four naval and two air force personnel aboard was on a training mission with NATO off the coast of Greece and was returning to the ship when it inexplicably crashed and sank.  The crash was witnessed by several crew on board HMCS Fredericton.

The crash was first reported by local Greek media and international wire services and then NATO itself before the Canadian Forces acknowledged the aircraft had crashed.

A seven member specialized military team is currently in Italy investigating the sudden crash of the aircraft which was relatively at only five years old. That investigation will include interviews with witnesses aboard the ship.

The team must provide a preliminary report on what is known about the event within 30 days. Complicating the recovery of the aircraft and remaining bodies is that the wreckage is believed to be a depth of about 3,000 metres, beyond the capabilities of only a limited few salvage vehicles. The Canadian Forces are still working on plans on how to recover the bodies which may still be inside the fuselage..

There has been no word on any information gathered from the flight recorders which are currently in Ottawa at the National Research Council.

The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Jonathan Vance said that only when the investigation is complete will information be released, first to the families, then to public. He told a news conference this week. “I know there’s great interest in speed here. We’re more interested in accuracy. There’s nothing self-evident about a crash.”

The military has temporarily suspended Cyclone flights in the meantime, a normal procedure in these circumstances.

The Cyclone has a troubled procurement history as it was developed for the Canadian military from a civilian platform, the Sikorsky S-92 and is considered by many to be a “developmental” aircraft.

In 2013, four test aircraft were found to have deficiencies in protection from electromagnetic signals. The waves from powerful military radars could potentially shut down the electronic flight controls including the engines. However, these concerns were apparently later rectified.

Operators of the civilian version are closely watching the investigation as the S-92 is the mainstay of offshore oil rigs in Canada and in the North Sea. A gearbox failure in 2009 caused a fatal crash of an S92 while the helicopter was travelling to an oil rig off the coast of Newfoundland. Seventeen of the 18 aboard were killed  Tail rotor concerns with the S-92 in 2016 have also resulted in some scares but no fatalities.

additional information – sources

• CBC: M. Brewster: May 7/20: Military chopper crash investigation could take more than a year: Sajjan
• CBC: M Brewster: May 8/20: As military probes deadly crash, clues could lie in the Cyclone’s troubled procurement history
• Canadian Press (via CTV): May 7/20: Canadian Forces determining how to raise helicopter that crashed
• Flight Global: D.Perry: May 7/20:  Offshore helicopter firms await outcome of CH-148 crash investigation
• Canadian Press (via TorStar): L.Berthiaume:  More remains found as search for Canadian military helicopter crash turns to recovery from rescue