The civilian RCMP member who died in a helicopter crash Tuesday afternoon east of Cultus Lake has been identified as 46-year-old David Brolin.
Brolin had successfully piloted a training exercise and was preparing to head back to base when the Air 5 chopper went down at around 2 p.m. He was the sole person on board.
RCMP Chief Supt. Wayne Rideout said the pilot had extensive flying experience and had been a civilian member of the force for several years.
"I want to express my most sincere condolences to his family, his friends and his coworkers during this very difficult time," Rideout told reporters after the crash.
Brolin worked as a pilot in several feature films, including the Samuel L. Jackson-starring "Snakes on a Plane," and was well-known in the flying community.
He also frequently assisted with tricky back-country searches, and Tim Jones of North Shore rescue described him as the "el primo pilot."
"He just had a really good ability to find people and track them in the helicopter. He was a superb pilot and a really nice guy," Jones said.
"It really has affected a lot of us, because he is such a good guy. He's one of the gold-standard pilots."
Rideout said emergency responders made "immediate and extensive" efforts to save Brolin's life after the crash, but were unsuccessful.
The RCMP says it maintains the highest mechanical standards for all its aircraft, including the A-Star B3 helicopter that crashed Tuesday.
"They receive the highest degree of maintenance and the equipment is top-notch," Rideout said. "It is my belief that it's extremely rare to have something like this happen."
The Transportation Safety Board and the BC Coroner's Service will be investigating the cause of the crash.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Shaheed Devji
