Passengers called loved ones to say goodbye during B.C. helicopter flight struck by lightning
Some passengers cried, some held hands and others called their spouses to say goodbye as their commuter helicopter on a routine flight between Vancouver and Victoria rolled onto its side and fell toward the ocean, damaged by a lightning strike Tuesday.
Lecia Stewart gripped the hands of the man and the woman seated next to her – three strangers now united by the harrowing experience, she says.
The HeliJet flight departed Vancouver at 9:11 a.m. with two pilots and 12 passengers on board. The aircraft was crossing the Strait of Georgia when a lightning strike sheared off two of the helicopter's tail rotor blades and shorted out the aircraft's control and navigation systems.
"Right after we got off the coast we went straight into a cloud bank – a very claustrophobic experience," said Stewart, who has taken the flight several times over the years.
"Suddenly, off to the left of the helicopter, there's a big flash and a bang," she said. "I see the pilots both look at each other, then the helicopter starts to swoon back and forth, almost like you're in a washing machine."
The Sikorsky S-76 helicopter rolled sideways and began to fall from approximately 1,280 metres (4,200 feet) above sea level.
"So I'm pretty sure we're done at this point," said Stewart, who was seated in the first row, directly behind the cockpit. "But as soon as we got out of the cloudbank, the pilot told us he was able to use hydraulics to get control of the helicopter even though all of the electronics went out."
Without navigational instruments, the pilots used visual cues to find Victoria and point the damaged aircraft toward its destination.
"We kept dropping down and bouncing around," Stewart said. "The two gentlemen in the seat behind me called their wives to say goodbye."
HeliJet president and CEO Daniel Sitnam said all 12 passengers and two pilots were unharmed when they disembarked in Victoria.
Stewart said the senior pilot debriefed the passengers and explained how he was able to use the helicopter's manual hydraulic system to safely land the craft.
A detail of the damage the HeliJet aircraft sustained on Oct. 24, 2023. (Supplied)
Many of the passengers exchanged business cards and agreed to contact each other to discuss the ordeal, if necessary, Stewart said.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada said Tuesday it was still collecting data on the incident. HeliJet says it is working with the safety board to determine what happened and to assess the damage to the helicopter.
Stewart opted to take the ferry home Tuesday night rather than the flight she already had planned.
"It was absolutely traumatizing," she said. "I figured for sure it was over. This is my day, it's over."
Damage sustained by the HeliJet helicopter on Oct. 24, 2023. (CTV News)
Environment and Climate Change Canada had issued a special weather statement for the region, warning of heavy rains and high winds over Greater Victoria the southern Gulf Islands.
The HeliJet president says the air carrier's executive team found no other reports of lightning activity in the area prior to or after the strike, calling it a "needle-in-the-haystack scenario."
Armel Castellan, an Environment Canada meteorologist, tells CTV News there were other lightning strikes in the area and that information provided to aviators by NavCan also warned of the potential for lightning.
"From an aviation perspective, the products did show thunderstorm activity as a possibility,” he said.
Shawn Pruchnicki, an aviation safety professor at Ohio State University, said the quick reactions of the pilots likely saved everyone on board.
He said it is far too early to say whether or not the inclement weather was severe enough for the company to consider cancelling the flight and that information will come out during the investigation.
"We have to see how close it was to the convective weather, what the weather reports actually were,” Pruchnicki said. “There's a lot of questions that need to be answered before we can even start thinking about a probable cause and why this went the way it did."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Biscuits with possible plastic pieces, metal found in ground pork: Here are the recalls for this week
Here are the latest recalls Canadians should watch out for, according to Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Parents of infant who died in wrong-way crash on Ontario's Hwy. 401 were in same vehicle
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has released new details about a wrong-way collision in Whitby on Monday night that claimed the lives of four people.
More than half of Canadians say freedom of speech is under threat, new poll suggests
A new poll suggests a majority of Canadians feel their right to freedom of speech is in danger.
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.
Wally, the emotional support alligator once denied entry to a baseball game, is missing
Emotional support animal registrations in the United States reached 115,832 last year, by an industry group’s count. But in the eyes of reptile rescuer Joie Henney, there’s only one: 'Wally Gator.'
BREAKING Feds giving Toronto more than $104M to host 2026 FIFA World Cup
The federal government will provide Toronto just over $104 million in funding to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Tiger Woods gets special exemption to U.S. Open at Pinehurst
Tiger Woods accepted a special exemption for the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, the first time the three-time champion has needed an exemption to play.
'Bare-adise' adventure: This nude cruise is due to set sail from Miami in 2025
What do you need to pack for a cruise? When it comes to this upcoming cruise from tour and travel company Bare Necessities, the answer appears to be very little.
Drew Barrymore explains how she accidentally left a list of her romantic partners at Danny DeVito's house
Danny DeVito had the opportunity to know way more about Drew Barrymore than the rest of us.