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CBC
2 days ago
- General
- CBC
Pilot lands helicopter in lake after it loses power while fighting northwestern Ontario wildfire
One of the helicopters used in the province's wildfire fighting efforts lost power this week over a lake in northwestern Ontario, forcing the pilot to use another way to land it safely in shallow water. The pilot was uninjured and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is gathering more information. The incident occurred shortly before 6 p.m. CT on Monday, a TSB spokesperson told CBC News in an email on Wednesday. "A Guardian Helicopters Inc. Bell 205A-1 helicopter was conducting aerial firefighting activities near Sandy Lake, Ont. Shortly after scooping a load of water from a lake, the engine stopped producing power," Chris Krepski said Wednesday. The pilot, who was the only one in the chopper, released "the water load and conducted an autorotation landing in a shallow part of the lake." Autorotation is a manoeuvre that pilots use to land a helicopter after it loses power. It involves using the upward airflow through the rotor blades to glide the helicopter to safety. Ontario 'thankful the pilot is safe' Wildfire fighting efforts have been underway in different parts of Canada, in one of the country's worst wildfire seasons. Canadian Armed Forces personnel were called to Sandy Lake First Nation — a remote Oji-Cree community about 600 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay — on June 8 to assist in the evacuation of over 2,000 people due to the region's largest wildfire, Red Lake 12. Red Lake 12, which was discovered May 28 and remains not under control, spans more than 177,000 hectares. It also prompted the evacuation of more than 800 people from Deer Lake First Nation, and a number of people from Keewaywin and North Spirit Lake. Krepski said that in the case of the Monday helicopter incident, an emergency locator transmitter was activated once it started going down and another helicopter in the area responded to the site. The TSB was quickly notified and is collecting information, but isn't currently deploying any investigators as the incident is being assessed, he said. A spokesperson for Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources said it's aware of what happened and is "thankful the pilot is safe." Alexandra Weber, a ministry spokesperson, said its aviation and safety experts "will fully co-operate" with Transport Canada and the Transportation Safety Board. The province's latest wildfire update, on Tuesday night, said Red Lake 12 had not moved any closer to Sandy Lake First Nation or Deer Lake First Nation, "owing to the firefighting work that has been performed on those sections of perimeter." "Heavy helicopters with buckets and water bombers have been used in recent days to help reduce fire intensity," Ontario Forest Fires said. "Firefighting crews, supported by bucketing helicopters, are making progress in consolidating hose lines and maintaining protective sprinkler systems on buildings and infrastructure in Deer Lake, Sandy Lake and Keewaywin." The wildfire hazard varies across the region. While rainfall has lowered the risks in the Thunder Bay and Fort Frances sectors, as well as the southern half of Nipigon, the far north is seeing moderate to high hazards.
CTV News
08-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Five taken to hospital in northwest Ont. float plane crash
Canada's Transportation Safety Board is investigating after a float plane operated by a remote northern Ont. fly-in fishing outfitter crashed, sending five people to hospital. Emergency crews were called to Pickerel Drive in Red Lake, Ont., shortly before 7 a.m. Sunday, Ontario Provincial Police said in a news release. 'Two individuals were seriously injured and three sustained minor injuries,' police said. 'All individuals have been transported to hospital by EMS (emergency medical services) to be treated for their injuries.' OPP Const. Autumn Eadie told CTV News in an email, the plane crashed into Balmer Creek shortly after takeoff. The crash involves a remote fly-in fishing outfitter, Hugo Fontaine, a spokesperson for the Transportation Safety Board, told in an email Monday morning. 'A De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver aircraft operated by Canadian Fly-In Fishing (Red Lake) Limited collided with terrain during takeoff from Red Lake, Ont., Sunday morning,' Fontaine said. 'We are deploying two investigators to gather data and assess the occurrence and they should arrive onsite at some point today (Monday). That's all the information we can share at this time.' CTV News reached out to the operator for comment and is awaiting a response. The owner of another northern Ontario outfitter with a similar name, Canadian Fly-In Outposts in Emo, said he has been getting calls all morning about the crash, but said it wasn't his company or plane that was involved. Air transportation 'accidents' were up 10 per cent in 2023 over the previous year with a total of 182, the Transportation Safety Board said in its annual report. 'Nineteen of these were fatal, resulting in 33 fatalities, which is down slightly from the 24 fatal accidents and 34 fatalities in 2022,' the report said. 'Overall, the number of air transportation accidents has been decreasing in the last decade.'
CTV News
08-06-2025
- CTV News
Transportation Safety Board investigating northern Ont. helicopter crash
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has sent two investigators to the northwestern Ontario community of Wawa to investigate an accident involving a helicopter. (File)
CTV News
08-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Miscommunication led plane to crash land in 8 inches of snow in northern Ont.
Canada's Transportation Safety Board has released findings in a Wawa plane crash last November-finding a miscommunication caused the crash.
CTV News
08-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
No injuries after plane does a hard landing on Lake Temiskaming, Ont.
It was a minor miracle late Friday morning when two people were unhurt after their float plane landed hard on Lake Temiskaming. Two people emerged unhurt after a float plane had a hard landing late Friday morning on Lake Temiskaming. Police said the plane was travelling from the French River when the incident occurred around 11:50 a.m. Drone 1 Drone footage of a float plane that crash landed on Lake Temiskaming late Friday morning. (Photo courtesy of Darshan Shah) The plane landed hard on the water and flipped over. But the pilot and the passenger were able to get out and were not injured. 'It's a miracle,' Ontario Provincial Police Const. Siobhan Christo told CTV News in a phone interview. People who were passing nearby witnessed the event and immediately called police. Eric Taschner of CTV News was on the scene and sent a photo of the plane with only the tail visible. Christo said the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, which investigate plane crashes in Canada, will be taking over the investigation. A message to the safety board from CTV News seeking further information has not yet been returned.
