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One maintenance worker dead, another seriously injured in helicopter incident at Smithers airport

The Transportation Safety Board is conducting a Class 4 investigation into the occurrence
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One person is dead and another seriously injured in a helicopter incident at Smithers airport May 6. (File photo)

One person is dead and another seriously injured following an incident with a helicopter at the Smithers Regional Airport May 6.

Liam MacDonald, a spokesperson for the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) said Mustang Helicopters was conducting some kind of ground operation when the Airbus helicopter went into “uncontrollable yaw,” rotated 540 degrees and struck two maintenance workers.

One of the workers was killed and another sustained injuries serious enough he had to be airlifted to an undisclosed hospital.

Frédéric Allard, president of Mustang Helicopters, said he was unable to say anything about the incident because it is now under investigation by the TSB.

He also said he could not disclose anything about the two workers out of respect for their privacy and that of their families.

The TSB did not immediately dispatch investigators, but later determined it to be a Class 4 Occurrence may involve fatalities or serious injuries or a small release of dangerous goods with moderate to minor damage to property and/or the environment.

It is also defined by public interest within a local or regional area, but presents little likelihood of advancing transportation saftety.

OTHER NEWS: Real estate sales dip in Smithers area for Q1 2023



editor@interior-news.com

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Thom Barker

About the Author: Thom Barker

After graduating with a geology degree from Carleton University and taking a detour through the high tech business, Thom started his journalism career as a fact-checker for a magazine in Ottawa in 2002.
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