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Fatal helicopter crash in McLure Strait Sea ice researcher, pilot and ship’s commanding officer dead
Kassina Ryder
Northern News Services
Published Tuesday, September 10, 2013
BANKS ISLAND
All three passengers are dead after a helicopter crashed into the Arctic Ocean off of Banks Island Monday night, according to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. The helicopter was assigned to the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Amundsen.
According to the ship's schedule, it left its home port of Quebec City on July 26 for an 82-day journey to the Arctic as part of a marine-based research program. The ship first travelled to Resolute and was scheduled to leave the community on Sept. 5 when it was to head out to the Beaufort Sea and Kugluktuk until Oct. 1. It was then scheduled to head back to Quebec City on Oct. 2.
Marc Thibault, commanding officer of the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Amundsen, Daniel Dubé, the helicopter’s pilot and Klaus Hochheim, an Arctic scientist with the University of Manitoba all died in the crash, a news release from the Prime Minister's Office stated.
“The courage and dedication of these three brave individuals will be honoured and remembered,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper stated in the release.
The Canadian helicopter took off from the Amundsen to collect information about sea ice, said Chris Krepski, a spokesperson with the Transportation Safety Board.
It crashed into the McLure Strait at about 5:45 Mountain Time yesterday, Krepski said.
The Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.
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