Re: Helicopter Crash

by Firefox Wed 21 Jun 2023, 11:20 am

Bodies of 2 crew members recovered after Chinook helicopter crash in Petawawa, Ont.

Josh Pringle

Published June 21, 2023

The bodies of two crew members on board a Royal Canadian Air Force CH-147F Chinook helicopter that crashed in the Ottawa River near Garrison Petawawa have been recovered.

The Department of National Defence says the bodies were found in the Ottawa River Tuesday evening, hours after the military helicopter crashed during a training exercise.

"Tragically, neither member survived," DND said in a statement, adding the names of the deceased individuals will not be released.

A crew of four were on the aircraft when it crashed in the Ottawa River just after midnight Tuesday in Petawawa.

"It is with profound sadness that we mourn the loss of these two members," Gen. Wayne Eyre, Chief of the Defence staff, said in a statement. "They served with honour, proudly devoting their lives to Canada with tremendous professionalism and selfless service. Their loss is devastating, and we stand in grief with their families, friends, and teammates during this time of great sorrow."

The commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force says the hearts of the RCAF members are "heavy with the news from Garrison Petawawa about the loss of two members of the 450 Tactical Helicopter Squadron."

"There are no words to describe a loss as tragic as this. On behalf of the entire Air Force family, Chief Warrant Officer Hall and I offer our deepest condolences and support to the families, friends and loved ones of all those affected by this accident," Lieut.-Gen. Eric Kenny said in a statement.

The military says the two other members of the crew rescued by Garrison Petawawa firefighters Tuesday morning were treated in hospital for minor injuries and released.

"The full range of support is being provided to the families of the two deceased members, the two surviving air crew members and their families, and to the members of 450 Squadron and Garrison Petawawa at this difficult time," DND said.

Approximately 110 Canadian Armed Forces members, along with Ontario Provincial Police and the Petawawa and Pembroke fire departments, were involved in the search efforts.

The Department of National Defence says the crash is now the focus of an investigation by the RCAF's Directorate of Flight Safety.

The incident has hit the small military community 150 kilometres west of Ottawa hard.

"We are one big family and when you go through a very emotional time like this, it's going to take this family to work together, to support the families and support each other through this tragedy," Petawawa Mayor Gary Serviss said.

Governor General Mary Simon issued a statement, offering condolences to the families and loved ones.

"As commander-in-chief, I have seen first-hand the loyalty, integrity, courage, excellence and dedication with which the members of the Canadian Armed Forces do their job," Simon said Wednesday.

"Today, we are reminded, tragically once again, that their job is also dangerous. Yet, our Canadian Armed Forces’ members serve their country despite these dangers, and we, as a nation, are grateful. My heart goes out to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives. They will also be truly missed by those who served alongside them."

Watering ban
The town of Petawawa has implemented a watering ban for all non-essential watering, and no outdoor watering is permitted.

The town says "out of an abundance of caution," it has temporarily stopped the intake of water from the Ottawa River to its water treatment plant.

"This is a precautionary measure in response to potentially hazardous materials from the recent crash of a CH-147F Chinook into the Ottawa River near Garrison Petawawa," the town said in a statement.

CH-147F Chinook
The Canadian Armed Forces has a fleet of 15 CH-147F Chinook helicopters.

The military helicopter is used to transport troops and equipment in natural disasters and emergency medical evacuations.

"The CH-147F Chinook is an advanced, multi-mission medium to heavy lift helicopter," says the Royal Canadian Air Force's website.

The first F-model Chinook was delivered to Canada from the Boeing manufacturing facility in Philadelphia in 2013.

The military says the Chinook has "enhanced self-protection capabilities, including anti-missile protection systems", radar and self-defence machine guns.

The 450 Tactical Helicopter Squadron
The two missing personnel are members of the 450 Tactical Helicopter Squadron, based at CFB Petawawa.

The 450 Tactical Helicopter Squadron is the Royal Canadian Air Fore's only CH-147F Chinook squadron. The squadron was re-established In 2012 in order to fly the Canadian Armed Forces' CH-147F-Chinook helicopters, according to the Royal Canadian Air Force's website.

The government says the squadron has conducted many domestic operations in support of Canadians, including 'Operation Vector' supporting the government's COVID-19 response.

CTV News Ottawa

by Mercury Wed 21 Jun 2023, 4:40 pm

RCAF still confident in Chinook helicopter fleet in aftermath of fatal crash near Petawawa

The Royal Canadian Air Force won't be grounding its Chinook helicopters in the wake of the crash near Petawawa.

David Pugliese • Ottawa Citizen

Published Jun 21, 2023

The Royal Canadian Air Force says it has confidence in its Chinook helicopter fleet despite Tuesday’s crash in which two people died, and won’t be grounding the fleet.

Maj. Gen. Sylvain Menard said Wednesday that the Chinook helicopters are considered excellent aircraft. “We’ve had one incident with the Chinook in the past,” Menard said. “It is a very good fleet that we are happy with.”

Menard didn’t go into details about the past incident, but an RCAF safety report noted a May 2021 accident in which three crew members received minor injuries during landing. The helicopter was seriously damaged during the incident at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, Alta. The investigation concluded that “human factors” contributed to that accident due to improper procedures by the aircrew.

Canada operates one of the more modern versions of the Chinook helicopter manufactured by Boeing. The RCAF bought 15 CH-147F Chinook helicopters, with the first delivered in 2013. The helicopters were equipped with larger fuel tanks and state-of-the-art electro-optic/infra-red sensors to allow the aircraft to operate effectively in very low light or reduced visibility conditions.

Investigators have started to look into Tuesday’s crash near Petawawa. Defence officials announced Wednesday the bodies of two RCAF crew members had been recovered. Two other crew members were on board at the time of the crash and were taken to hospital with minor injuries and have since been released. The incident happened shortly after midnight during a routine night training flight.

Menard said the helicopter was equipped with what is commonly called a black box but the RCAF didn’t have information on whether that device, which would include data about the flight, had been recovered.

The Canadian Forces declined to say whether the dead were pilots or other crew members.

Defence Minister Anita Anand said the Chinook fleet will not be flying for the time being, but said that is out of respect for those killed Tuesday and not because of mechanical issues. “There is no formal pause in the operation of the fleet at this time,” she said Wednesday. “However, the fleet will take a pause out of respect for this tragic incident and all of the members of 450 Squadron.”

The names of the deceased are not being released at the request of their families.

In August 2022, the U.S. Army temporarily grounded its Chinook fleet because of fuel leaks that could cause engine fires. But it was determined at the time the RCAF Chinooks did not have similar issues.

There were a number of incidents involving RCAF Chinooks during the Afghanistan war but those were older versions of the helicopter. In some cases, the incidents involved “hard landings” causing minor injuries.

In addition, in May 2007, Master Cpl. Darrell Jason Priede was killed when the U.S. military Chinook he was on board crashed in southern Afghanistan. Five U.S. military members and one British member also died in the crash. The Taliban later claimed responsibility for shooting down the Chinook.

Rankin Inlet in Nunavut was the scene of a deadly RCAF Chinook accident in August 1982. Three Canadian Forces members died and three others were injured when their Chinook was trying to refuel at the Rankin Inlet airport. The Chinook was in the process of moving to the fueling station when it is believed to have hit something, according to news reports at the time. The helicopter caught fire and there was an explosion.

Killed in that accident were Lieut. Dave Allen, 26, the co-pilot, from Brampton, Ont.; Pte. Yves Vadnais, 23, of Ottawa; and Master Cpl. Georges Deschamps, 38, of Ottawa, a supply technician, according to United Press International. Listed in the UPI news report as injured were aircraft commander Lieut. Jochen Dous, 28, of Ottawa; Master Cpl. Robert Hersey, 28, the craft’s loadmaster, of Gloucester, Ont.; and Master Cpl. Richard Phillips, 29, the flight technician, of Ottawa.

Defence Watch

by Lionfield Fri 07 Jul 2023, 5:25 pm

Process to remove crashed military helicopter from Ottawa River a complex undertaking

Ted Raymond . Published July 7, 2023

CTV News Ottawa

by **Joker** Tue 11 Jul 2023, 1:51 pm

Recovery of Chinook helicopter that crashed into Ottawa River now underway

The aircraft, which crashed June 20 killing two pilots, is currently under approximately 23 metres of water.

David Pugliese • Ottawa Citizen

Published Jul 11, 2023

The process to recover the wreckage of a Chinook helicopter that crashed into the Ottawa River last month will start today.

A crane and a barge have been brought to the crash site, according the Canadian Forces.

“Once the aircraft is raised, it will be towed to shore and further assessed as part of an ongoing Directorate of Flight Safety investigation,” the Canadian Forces noted in a statement on Facebook on Tuesday. “The aircraft will be removed from shore via truck once released by Flight Safety members.”

The aircraft, which crashed June 20 killing two pilots, is currently under approximately 23 metres of water.

Capt. David Domagala, 32, and Capt. Marc Larouche, 53, both died in the crash near Garrison Petawawa.

Two other crew members on board at the time of the crash were taken to hospital with minor injuries and have since been released. The incident happened during a routine night training flight.

No details were provided on how long the recovery process is expected to take.

RCAF spokesperson Capt. Yvette Mills stated in an email that a joint team—comprised of Royal Canadian Navy clearance divers, Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Air Force members—is involved in the recovery of the Chinook.

Mills stated that it was initially thought the aircraft had leaked contaminants but emergency spill response measures were implemented quickly. “Further investigation and environmental sampling has revealed that while some hydrocarbons are being released from the helicopter, the quantities are very small and are currently being remediated within the spill containment measures surrounding the aircraft,” she added. “An environmental emergency response contractor is on site to maintain and monitor the spill containment system to prevent any migration from the immediate area. At this point, there is no evidence of any environmental contamination along the riverbank or the beach.”

Environmental monitoring is ongoing at various locations around the site, Mills added, including the beaches.

The details of the recovery, such as whether a barge or crane were to be used, as well as the names of the firms hired to conduct the recovery, were considered by the RCAF as secret on July 5th. At the time, the RCAF did not provide details on how naming firms receiving the taxpayer-funded recovery contract was sensitive.

“The aircraft is being supported to the surface with the support from barges and recovered from water with a crane,” stated Mills in her email. “This was not provided initially, as discussions pertaining to confidentiality were being considered as there is a concurrent investigation.”

The concurrent investigation refers to the one being conducted by the Directorate of Flight Safety.

The CH-147F Chinook helicopter is equipped with a Cockpit Voice Recorder/Flight Data Recorder unit, known in common terms as a black box. Obtaining and analyzing the information on the flight data recorder onboard the Chinook will be part of the ongoing flight safety investigation, National Defence spokesman Dan Le Bouthillier noted in an earlier statement.

Le Bouthillier said the team consists of approximately 16 people and includes investigators, medical advisors, a fleet operations advisor, as well as a technical and engineering advisor.

Capt. Larouche, originally of Amos, Que., earned a private pilot’s license before joining the Royal Canadian Air Force as a pilot. After attaining his pilot’s wings in 1993, he served with several squadrons, flying the CH-135 Twin Huey, CH-146 Griffon and CH-147F Chinook helicopters. He deployed internationally on Operation DELIVERANCE in Somalia and domestically on Operation PODIUM in British Columbia.

Capt. Domagala, originally of Woodstock, Ont., served in the Canadian Army Reserve before applying to become a pilot. After graduating from the Royal Military College, he completed pilot training and was posted to 450 Tactical Helicopter Squadron in 2019. He deployed as a liaison officer on Operation CALUMET in Egypt, for which he received a Commander Commendation from Canadian Joint Operations Command. He commenced his training on the CH-147F Chinook upon redeployment.

David Pugliese is an award-winning journalist covering Canadian Forces and military issues in Canada. To support his work, including exclusive content for subscribers only, sign up here: ottawacitizen.com/subscribe

Defence Watch

by **Replica** Wed 30 Aug 2023, 6:39 am

Petawawa helicopter crash investigation looking at 3 factors

CBC News · Posted: Aug 29, 2023

Helicopter Crash - Page 4 Flight-recorder-petawawa-chinook-crash

CBC News

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