Adverse weather conditions and the loss of visual reference with the ground could be the cause of the helicopter crash that killed three people, 1 st February 2018, in Drummondville, in the Holy sector Joachim-de-Courval.
The drama occurred in the middle of the evening, as the Robinson R44 Raven I helicopter took off from Saint-Georges, Beauce, bound for Saint-Alexis, in the Lanaudière region.
A distress signal was issued from the aircraft 45 minutes after take-off. An hour later, the carcass of the helicopter was found in a field of Saint-Joachim-de-Courval - a locality that was merged in Drummondville in 2004.
The aircraft was completely destroyed during the impact and a fire broke out as a result of the crash. The three occupants had no chance.
"The investigation revealed that the pilot was most likely experiencing adverse weather conditions that resulted in a loss of visual reference to the ground and that he subsequently lost control of the helicopter due to disorientation, "said the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) in its investigation report.
"Although the pilot had a valid license and the necessary qualifications to complete the flight, given the total number of flight hours of the pilot, his training, and his limited experience in night flying, it is likely that the pilot did not have the skills to deal with a significant reduction in visual references with the ground, "added the TSB.