Canadian military still seeking wreckage

The Canadian Forces doesn’t yet know where the wreckage of its Cyclone helicopter is but discussions have been held with the U.S. military about possibly using deepsea submersibles in recovering the debris.

Defence minister Harjit Sajjan said last week that “we are actively working on options to recover the remaining fuselage, which will assist with the investigation.”

But the Canadian Forces has since acknowledged it doesn’t know where the wreckage of the fuselage is located. “We have not yet determined the exact location,” the military stated in an email to this newspaper. “Search efforts are ongoing.”

The Canadian Forces declined to outline what options for recovery Sajjan was talking about since no decision has been made on how to proceed if, and when, the wreckage is found.

Defence sources, however, say initial discussions have been held with the U.S. Navy which has the deepsea capability to do the job. Recovery of the wreckage, believed to be 3,000 metres below the surface, would be difficult and expensive.

The Cyclone helicopter crashed April 29 off the coast of Greece during a training mission.

It was returning to the Canadian frigate, HMCS Fredericton, when the crash occurred. Six Canadian Forces personnel on board were killed.

The body of Sub-Lt. Abbigail Cowbrough was recovered shortly after the crash. In addition, partial human remains discovered in the aftermath of the incident were identified on May 9 as being those of one of the Cyclone’s pilots, Capt. Brenden Ian MacDonald.

A side door and pieces of the helicopter’s fuselage have also been found.

The other four Canadian Armed Forces members — Capt. Kevin Hagen, Capt. Maxime Miron-Morin, Sub-Lt. Matthew Pyke, and Master Cpl. Matthew Cousins — are missing and presumed dead, but an organized search is continuing for their remains.

Sajjan has committed the Canadian government to the recovery, which he acknowledged would be a complex operation because of the depth of the water at the crash site. “We will leave no stone unturned in making sure that we bring closure for the families,” he added.

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