David Domagala & Marc Larouche (Chinook helicopter crash)

by Looper Fri 23 Jun 2023, 4:33 pm

Canadian military identifies two pilots killed in Chinook helicopter crash near Petawawa

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

David Pugliese • Ottawa Citizen

Published Jun 23, 2023

The Canadian Forces has identified the two pilots killed Tuesday when a Chinook helicopter crashed into the Ottawa River.

Capt. David Domagala, 32, and Capt. Marc Larouche, 53, both died in the crash near Garrison Petawawa. The families of both men requested that their names be released to the public.

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.

The Larouche family released the following statement:

“It is with profound sadness that I announce the passing of my beloved husband, Capt. Marc Larouche. He was a father, a son, a brother, a friend…. Above all, he was a mentor. He’s been a pilot since 1993 and since has become a revered instructor. It comforts all of us to know that he left doing what he loved most. He leaves behind to grieve his three sons Maxim, Guillaume and Marc-Antoine, his parents Janine and Alain, his sister Christine and his closest brothers in arms. May you rest in peace, Marc. You are loved. Annie.”

Investigators are continuing to look into Tuesday’s crash near Petawawa. Defence officials announced Wednesday that the bodies of the two RCAF crew members had been recovered. 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 shortly after midnight during a routine night training flight.

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.

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 that crashed on June 20 will be part of the ongoing flight safety investigation, said National Defence spokesman Dan Le Bouthillier.

“The cause of the accident is unknown at this time. The flight safety investigation will carefully examine all available evidence to determine the cause,” he added.

He noted that throughout the process, National Defence and the Canadian Forces will keep the families of the deceased informed, prior to making information public.

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.

The Royal Canadian Air Force announced Thursday that the Petawawa-based 450 Tactical Helicopter Squadron resumed regular flying activities with their CH-147F Chinook helicopters.

“RCAF will reconsider the flying status of the fleet if circumstances arise that warrant a change,” the RCAF said in a statement on Twitter.

“Activities will be undertaken in a way that ensures members are physically and mentally prepared to fly/conduct maintenance on aircraft.”

The Royal Canadian Air Force has said it has confidence in its Chinook helicopter fleet despite Tuesday’s crash. Maj. Gen. Sylvain Menard said Wednesday that the Chinook helicopters were 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.

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 that 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” that caused 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 that 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 was 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, and Master Cpl. Richard Phillips, 29, the flight technician, of Ottawa.

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