HeliJet damaged by 'freak' lightning strike between Vancouver, Victoria
A commercial helicopter with 14 people on board landed safely in Victoria Tuesday after it was struck by lightning and damaged in what the company's president is calling a "freak" occurrence.
The HeliJet flight departed Vancouver's harbour at 9:11 a.m. and was midway through its routine traverse from the B.C. mainland to Vancouver Island when the strike occurred, HeliJet president and CEO Daniel Sitnam told CTV News.
Two of the helicopter's four tail rotor blades were shorn from the aircraft as it flew approximately 1,280 metres (4,200 feet) above sea level over the southern Gulf Islands.
Despite the damage, the helicopter landed safely in Victoria and all 12 passengers were medically cleared before departing. The two pilots were also checked over and are physically unharmed, according to the company.
"Both crewmembers are in good shape," Sitnam said. "They're back in Vancouver right now. They obviously have the day off and more as they require."
The Helijet president, who is a helicopter pilot himself, said he is proud of the two-pilot crew for their handling of the "extremely rare" incident.
"It would be a very challenging circumstance for a crewmember on the aircraft," he said.
"One can imagine possibly a loud bang would be heard – a flash of lightning – as if you maybe saw God. From there on it's difficult to ascertain what would happen going forward other than managing yourself and going through all the training procedures."
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada says it has been notified and is currently collecting data on the incident.
The Sikorsky S-76 helicopter will remain at the Victoria heliport until the safety board clears it for removal to the company's facility at the Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C.
A section of the Helijet helicopter's tail appeared damaged shortly after it landed in Victoria on Oct. 24, 2023. (CTV News)
The region where the lightning strike was reported was under a special weather statement at the time, as Environment and Climate Change Canada warned of heavy rains and high winds over the southern Gulf Islands.
Nonetheless, Sitnam says the air carrier's executive team found no reports of lightning activity in the area prior to the strike or after.
"We have identified there was no lightning in the air everywhere on the South Coast other than this unusual lightning strike that happened to us," he said. "So we are kind of scratching our heads over that one. It's kind of a needle-in-the-haystack scenario from our standpoint."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Most of the city is evacuating': Gridlock on Alberta highway after evacuation order in Fort McMurray
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Sask. police seize 1.5M pieces of evidence, lay 60 more charges in child exploitation case
Saskatchewan RCMP have revealed that a historic sexual assault investigation has led to the discovery of alleged crimes against children dating back to 2005.
About 1,000 wildfires confirmed so far this year: Here's a quick look at the situation in Canada
Nearly 1,000 wildfires have burned across Canada so far this year. Here's an overview of the situation in Canada.
'Inappropriate' behaviour shuts down Dublin to New York City portal
Less than a week after two public sculptures featuring a livestream between Dublin, Ireland, and New York City debuted, 'inappropriate behaviour' in real-time interactions between people in the two cities has prompted a temporary shutdown.
American sought after 'So I raped you' Facebook message detained in France on 2021 warrant
An American accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and later sending her a Facebook message that said, 'So I raped you,' has been detained in France after a three-year search.
Full List Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Tavares scores in OT, rescues Canada from potential upset in 7-6 win over Austria
Captain John Tavares scored 15 seconds into overtime and saved his teammates some embarrassment as Canada held on for a 6-5 win over Austria on Tuesday at the world hockey championship.
BREAKING Dr. Eileen de Villa, who led Toronto through the COVID-19 pandemic, announces resignation
The doctor who led Toronto through the COVID-19 pandemic as the city’s top public health official is stepping down.