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A hero's welcome
Sheldon Catholique awarded for plane crash rescue

Kassina Ryder
Northern News Services
Published Monday, April 28 2014

LUTSEL K'E/SNOWDRIFT
A Lutsel K'e man who rescued a fellow passenger after a plane crash three years ago was honoured during a ceremony in Ottawa last week.

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Sheldon Catholique, left, receives the Medal of Bravery from Governor General David Johnston at a ceremony at Rideau Hall on Thursday, April 24, where Johnston presented one Star of Courage and 42 Medals of Bravery. - photo courtesy of Vincent Carbonneau.

Sheldon Catholique, 30, received a Medal of Bravery from Governor General David Johnston April 24, recognizing him for helping save the life of Bernice Marlowe.

Marlowe and Catholique were two of the passengers on board an Air Tindi flight from Yellowknife to Lutsel K'e on Oct. 4, 2011.

Marlowe is also the sister of Catholique's partner, Amanda Marlowe.

The Cessna Caravan 208B aircraft crashed into the Pethei Peninsula, which rises about 500 feet above Great Slave Lake, at about 11:40 a.m.

Pilot Matthew Bromley, 28, and passenger Timothy Harris, 54, both died during the crash.

They were about 48 km from Lutsel K'e.

Catholique said he can still remember being inside the plane when it crashed.

"We hit a cliff," he said. "We just rolled and rolled."

The aircraft's landing gear hit the cliff first, then it, the cargo pod and the propeller were torn from the aircraft, the report stated. One of the wings was also ripped from the plane.

It continued upward before reaching the top of the peninsula where it became airborne and rolled, falling nearly 500 feet down the eastern side of the peninsula.

"When we came to a complete stop, I woke up and was amazed I was still alive," Catholique said.

But, Catholique said he soon realized he wasn't the only one who survived when he began to hear Bernice Marlowe moaning from the wreckage.

Despite a bone protruding from his left arm and other injuries, Catholique managed to pull Marlowe from the plane to a safer spot nearby.

He said he tightened his belt around his arm to stem the flow of blood and held Marlowe for a while, but said he was afraid she would fall asleep.

"I didn't want her to fall asleep because she was in shock," he said.

So Catholique said he moved away from her and started talking, trying desperately to keep her awake until help arrived.

"She was really passing out and her breathing was very slow. I thought she was not going to make it," he said. "I just prayed and prayed and prayed."

He said one of his biggest fears was having to spend the night outside. According to the TSB report, it was rainy and the temperature was 6 C the day of the crash.

"The weather was very, very bad that day," Catholique said.

Catholique said he had no way of knowing if rescuers had been dispatched or whether anyone realized they were still alive.

"I didn't think they knew there were survivors on that plane," he said.

Catholique said hours later, he finally saw an aircraft circling overhead.

"I couldn't believe I was going to get rescued," he said.

The TSB report stated that when the flight didn't arrive in Lutsel K'e at 11:45, an Air Tindi employee there called the office in Yellowknife.

Two airplanes were dispatched to look for the downed plane at about 2:20 p.m. Rescuers found Catholique and Marlowe at about 3:30 p.m.

Catholique said his partner, Amanda, was with the rescuers. He said it wasn't until he realized he was going to be rescued that he felt his own injuries.

"As soon as I saw the rescuers, all of a sudden I started feeling the pain," he said. "I was running on adrenaline."

The pair were medevaced to Yellowknife.

Catholique said he is grateful for the love and support of his family while he recovered from the crash, as well as to the rescuers who found him.

"I just want to thank my mom and dad and my brothers and sister and my common law, Amanda Marlowe, for their support through my recovery," he said. "And also to my rescuers who rescued me out there."

Catholique said even though a few years have passed, he knows Oct. 4, 2011 will stay with him forever.

"It's a day I'll never forget," he said.

An investigation by the Transportation Safety Board found Bromley was using visual flight rules that day instead of instruments, which meant he was flying low enough to navigate by watching the ground.

Pilots sometimes use visual flight rules when weather is low. Before the crash, Bromley made the decision to rely on visual flight rules or instruments when they made their flight plans, a TSB representative told News/North after the investigation concluded in 2013.

Air Tindi changed its rules after the crash and pilots must now use instrument flight rules at all times, unless they receive approval from management to use a visual flight plan.

The TSB investigation report stated the plane didn't have a terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS).

"Because no effective evasive manoeuvres were made before impact, it is likely that the crest of the Pethei Peninsula was obscured in fog, and not visible to the pilot," the report stated. "The application of increased engine power immediately before impact was likely made when the terrain in front of the aircraft suddenly became visible."

Cannabis found in Bromley's system was also considered a contributing factor in the crash.

- with files from Laura Busch

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