Manufacturing defect led to fatal B.C. helicopter crash: TSB
Federal investigators say a manufacturing defect caused a helicopter to crash on Vancouver Island last year, claiming the life of the pilot.
Brent Fedirchuk was killed when the single-engine Hughes helicopter he was piloting alone crashed in a wooded area near Port McNeill, B.C., shortly after 9 a.m. on April 6, 2022.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has determined that undetected gaps formed inside an engine compressor wheel during manufacturing, eventually leading to catastrophic engine failure.
"Shrinkage voids developed near the inner circumference of the engine's sixth stage compressor wheel during the manufacturing process and went undetected using the existing inspection methods," the safety board announced at the conclusion of its investigation Thursday.
"The affected compressor wheel eventually failed when two separate fractures, one due to fatigue caused by shrinkage voids and the other due to overstress, occurred. This resulted in a catastrophic engine failure, and the subsequent impact with the ground."
Fedirchuk was conducting logging operations for Kestrel Helicopters in the Naka Creek area, east of Port McNeill, at the time of the crash.
Safety board investigators say the engine failed shortly after the helicopter released a bundle of cedar blocks from a 55-metre longline.
"Therefore, the helicopter likely had insufficient height and forward speed to conduct a successful autorotation," the TSB report says.
Brent Fedirchuk was the pilot who died when the Hughes 369D he was flying went down shortly after 9 a.m. Wednesday, April 6, 2022. (Facebook/Funtastic)
Fedirchuk broadcasted a radio distress call at 9:09 a.m. and the helicopter hit the ground seconds later, according to the report.
"The helicopter impacted the terrain with significant vertical speed, causing substantial damage to the helicopter," the report found.
The ground crew that was working with the helicopter arrived at the accident scene approximately 10 minutes after the crash and found the pilot fatally injured.
The TSB says engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce issued a service letter to its customers on May 18 recommending the engine compressors be converted to a new wheel design during their next overhaul period.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
Boeing is on the verge of launching astronauts aboard new capsule, the newest entry to space travel
It’s the first flight of Boeing’s Starliner capsule with a crew on board, a pair of NASA pilots who will check out the spacecraft during the test drive and a weeklong stay at the space station.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.