'We just descended incredible amounts': Audio recording sheds light on Helijet flight struck by lightning
Audio recording of Helijet flight 705 appears to shed light on the flight team's heroic actions.
During a Tuesday morning flight from Vancouver to Victoria, the helicopter was believed to be struck by lightning over the Gulf Islands.
"Oh (expletive)," said the pilot, whose name has not been released by Helijet. "Okay, decouple. Decouple. Decouple."
According to a former pilot, this means the helicopter's electronics and autopilot were compromised.
"Probably it did not auto-disconnect, and what they were saying to each other was turn it off, that they were going to hand fly the helicopter," said Shawn Pruchnicki, an accident investigator and instructor at Ohio State University.
The pilot continues by declaring a 'PAN PAN', meaning 'possible assistance needed.'
"This is similar to mayday, but it's to a lesser level," said Pruchnicki.
The pilot then tells air traffic control (ATC) "We just descended incredible amounts of altitude. We're still descending. We're at 1300."
Lecia Stewart, one of the 12 passengers on that flight, thought she was going to die.
"I fly a lot and I really thought, 'OK, I'm going to go down in a helicopter,'" said Stewart.
Helijet says two of the four tail rotors were heavily impacted by the strike, making the helicopter difficult to steer.
After the pilot regained control, he realized what may have caused the damage and subsequent freefall.
"We just had a lightning strike," the pilot told ATC. "We descended a bunch. We'd like to request vectors for the airport to YYJ."
The helicopter landed safely a few minutes later in Victoria. No one was physically injured.
"Sounds like they did an outstanding job and it sounds like they're a very professional, very much in control of the situation," said Pruchnichi, who listened to the audio recording several times.
B.C. Premier David Eby was asked about the pilot's efforts at an unrelated news conference Thursday.
"I've sent a letter of thanks and appreciation to those pilots," said Eby. "It's just such a wonderful story out of what could have been a horrible tragedy for this province."
The Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident.
"We're looking at (the) aircraft, what happened to the aircraft, the damage to the aircraft, how it's being operated, you know, the weather that its being operated in," said Ryan Libech, senior technical investigator with the TSB.
Helijet has said it cleared the flight path of any lightning in the area prior to takeoff and that there were no other strikes nearby. Environment and Climate Change Canada, however, said its data showed otherwise.
"From an aviation perspective, you know, the products did show thunderstorm activity as a possibility," said Armel Castellan, meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Helijet would not confirm or deny whether the audio transcript is authentic, as it awaits the conclusion of the TSB investigation.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Chants of 'shame on you' greet guests arriving for the annual White House correspondents' dinner
An election-year roast of U.S. President Joe Biden before journalists, celebrities and politicians at the annual White House correspondents' dinner Saturday.
What is a 'halal mortgage'? Does it make housing more accessible?
The 2024 federal budget announced on April 16 included plans to introduce “halal mortgages” as a way to increase access to home ownership.
Here's where Canadians are living abroad: report
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Harvey Weinstein hospitalized after return to New York from upstate prison
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said Saturday that the onetime movie mogul has been hospitalized for a battery of tests after his return to New York City following an appeals court ruling nullifying his 2020 rape conviction.
'We are declaring our readiness': No decision made yet as Poland declares it's ready to host nuclear weapons
Polish President Andrzej Duda says while no decision has been made around whether Poland will host nuclear weapons as part of an expansion of the NATO alliance’s nuclear sharing program, his country is willing and prepared to do so.
Central Alberta queer groups react to request from Red Deer-South to reinstate Jennifer Johnson to UCP caucus
A number of LGBQT+2s groups in Central Alberta are pushing back against a request from the Red Deer South UCP constituency to reinstate MLA Jennifer Johnson into the UCP caucus.