PM deflects questions about military’s delay in confirming crash

Helicopter’s flight data, cockpit voice recorders in Canada for analysis

OTTAWA—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau deflected questions Tuesday about why it took more than 12 hours for the Canadian Armed Forces to confirm a military helicopter had crashed and when he found out that horrified crew members on board a Halifax-class frigate had watched it go down.

“The military has very important protocols in place when there is a tragic incident like this around informing the next of kin, talking to the families as quickly as possible before sharing information with the general public,” Trudeau said. “All those protocols were followed.”

The Cyclone helicopter carrying six Armed Forces members crashed into the Ionian Sea off the coast of Greece on April 29. Defence officials have said it was returning to HMCS Fredericton at the end of a NATO training mission.

The remains of Sub-Lt. Abbigail Cowbrough were subsequently recovered while the other five service members on board are missing presumed dead. (The remains of one other person have been recovered but not yet identified.)

The military initially reported that the helicopter was missing after HMCS Fredericton lost contact with it. It did not confirm a crash until the next day, after the NATO military alliance had already reported the same thing.

Even then, the government and military continued to suggest that the first sign of trouble came when Fredericton lost contact with the Cyclone, suggesting it was operating at a distance from the warship. They also made no mention of service members on the warship having seen it crash.

“Around 6:52 p.m., the ship lost contact with the helicopter crew and a few minutes later flares were seen in the water,” chief of the defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance said during a briefing to Canadians on April 30 attended by Trudeau and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan.

Vance reported during the same briefing that the next of kin of all six members had already been notified about the crash.

The military has repeatedly declined to say how close the Cyclone was to Fredericton when it crashed into the sea. Rear-Admiral Craig Baines, the commander of the Navy’s maritime command, did estimate on Friday that the crash was “within two miles” of the frigate.

The Department of National Defence stood by its handling of the situation, saying in a statement Tuesday that it provided what information was known and confirmed on April 30 while focusing on the search and rescue of the missing members.

The military is preparing to hold a special ramp ceremony Wednesday at Canadian Forces Base Trenton to repatriate Cowbrough’s remains and honour all six who died in the crash. The family and friends of the service members are expected to be in attendance.