Dislodged cargo took helicopter down

Bag broke loose and hit rear rotor, says safety board report

An improperly secured tool bag hit the rear rotor of a helicopter before the aircraft crashed in eastern Ontario, killing four people on board, the Transportation Safety Board said Thursday, as it issued a warning on the risks of unsecured cargo.

The board said its preliminary investigation into the Dec. 14 crash near Tweed, Ont., suggested the tool bag being carried on a platform outside the Hydro One helicopter was the main cause of the deadly incident.

Shortly before the crash, the helicopter’s pilot picked up three linemen at the base of a highpower transmission tower and was transporting them to a nearby staging area, the TSB said.

A few bags used for tools and supplies were being carried on the platform extending out of the right side of the helicopter. The bags are normally secured with double-lock carabiners, the TSB said.

“While nearing the staging area, one of the bags ... blew off the platform and along with its attached carabiner struck and damaged the tail rotor,” Peter Rowntree, a senior TSB investigator told reporters on Thursday.

“A heavily-damaged carabiner, a damaged bag along with the tip of a tail rotor blade were found approximately 600 metres away from the crash site.”

Investigators also found that two of the three seatbelts in the helicopter’s passenger area were unfastened, Rowntree said.

The TSB issued a safety advisory Thursday in light of the crash, saying cargo must be adequately secured at all times and warning that passengers who don’t wear seatbelts risk serious injury or death in an emergency.

The men killed in the crash were identified by Hydro One as 39-year-old pilot James Baragar, 27-year-old Kyle Shorrock, and Jeff Howes and Darcy Jansen, both 26.