Island pilot, a ‘perfect brother,’ among missing in military helicopter crash
HMCS FREDERICTON HELICOPTER CRASH
A pilot from Vancouver Island is one of five crew members missing after a Cyclone helicopter crash off the coast of Greece Wednesday that claimed the life of at least one member of the Canadian Armed Forces. The aircraft was on a training mission and was returning to the Halifaxbased frigate HMCS Fredriction.
Nanaimo-born Capt. Kevin Hagen is among the missing. He grew up in Ladysmith, Quadra Island and Victoria, his brother, Kyle, told the Times Colonist.
“Kevin was a perfect brother,” he said.
“Always there for my sister and I. He’s been a shining example of truth, duty and valour for us.
“We’ve been proud of him our whole lives. He’s been my closest friend, and I can’t describe how hard his loss has been for us.”
He said the military community and representatives have been compassionate and professional, adding: “I’m sorry to Kevin’s brothers and sisters in arms for this awful loss. We are grateful for their support. I miss him.”
Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog said the city is “proud of the contribution that young men and women have made to our Armed Forces over many decades.”
Krog described Capt. Hagen as “a fine example of commitment to country and community.”
There have been complications during the search because of a large debris field and the fact that the water where the helicopter crashed is 3,000 metres deep.
OTTAWA — The Canadian military is deploying a flight investigation team to determine the cause of a helicopter crash off the coast of Greece that has claimed the life of at least one service member and left five others missing.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said during a news conference that six people were aboard the Cyclone helicopter that went down in the Ionian Sea on Wednesday as the aircraft was returning to the Halifax-based frigate HMCS Fredericton from a NATO training mission.
“They are all heroes,” Trudeau said Thursday. “On behalf of all Canadians, I would like to offer my support to the family and friends and to the members of the Canadian Armed Forces, to the people of Halifax and to the people of Nova Scotia. We are with you.”
Chief of the defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance said the body of one sailor, Sub-Lt. Abbigail Cowbrough of Nova Scotia, had been recovered. Canadian and allied warships and aircraft were searching for the other service members.
They were identified as:
• Capt. Brenden Ian MacDonald, pilot, originally from New Glasgow, N.S.
• Capt. Kevin Hagen, pilot, originally from Nanaimo
• Capt. Maxime Miron-Morin, air combat systems officer, originally from Trois-Rivieres, Que.
• Sub-Lt. Matthew Pyke, naval weapons officer, originally from Truro, Ont.
• Master Cpl. Matthew Cousins, airborne electronic sensor operator, originally from Guelph, Ont.
While search conditions in the area were good, military officials said the helicopter crashing in water that is 3,000 metres deep and the size of the debris field complicate the effort to find the missing.
“Even in relatively calm conditions, very small objects in the water are very difficult to find over long periods of time especially as wind and current expands the search area,” Rear Admiral Craig Baines, commander of the Navy’s Atlantic forces, said during a briefing in Halifax. “But they are continuing, and they will continue to search while they believe there is still an opportunity to find survivors.”
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said the Cyclone’s flight-data and voice recorders were recovered after they broke away from the helicopter when it crashed and will be returned to Canada for analysis. A representative from Sikorsky Aircraft, which builds the Cyclone, is going to the scene following a request from the military, alongside the Armed Forces’ own investigative team.
The military has imposed what Vance described as an “operational pause” on the rest of the military’s Cyclone fleet in case the crash was caused by a fleet-wide problem with the helicopters. The Royal Canadian Air Force has 17 other Cyclones.
Col. James Hawthorne, commander of 12 Wing Shearwater, where the Cyclone was based, said in Halifax: “I do not have any safety concerns at the moment.”
Hours earlier, Cowbrough’s father, Shane, identified his daughter as having been killed in the crash. “I am broken and gutted,” he wrote on Facebook. “There are no words. You made me forever proud. I will love you always, and miss you in every moment. You are the bright light in my life taken far too soon.”
David Barclay said Miron-Morin completed a master of science in oceanography in late 2018 at Halifax’s Dalhousie University while stationed at Shearwater.
Barclay, who was his co-supervisor, said the Quebec native was a smart, determined student who excelled in his studies while still holding down a job with the Canadian Armed Forces.
“He’s that rare combination — a person who can solve an equation, write some code and turn a wrench,” Barclay said.
HMCS Fredericton left Halifax for a six-month deployment to Europe in January as part of a NATO task force charged with patrolling the Mediterranean and Black seas.