Helicopter crash near Montreal kills four people in Quebec field

Four people died after a private helicopter crashed and caught fire in a field in Sainte-Brigide-d'Iberville, Quebec, about 50km from Montreal, on Saturday afternoon. Emergency services were called shortly after 14:30 local time and found the aircraft burning, with all four occupants pronounced dead at the scene, Quebec's provincial police said.nypost.com+1

The crash killed everyone aboard, making it one of the deadliest private aviation incidents in the Montreal area in recent memory. The victims have not been identified, and police said the identification process may take a few days. The cause of the crash has not been determined, and investigators are working to establish what happened during the short flight.bbc.co.uk

What happened at the crash site

Police were notified through an emergency call of a helicopter in distress that may have crashed and caught fire. The aircraft went down in the Rang des Écossais sector of Sainte-Brigide-d'Iberville, near Highway 10, shortly after 14:30 local time. First responders found the aircraft engulfed in flames and pronounced all four occupants dead at the scene.

An hour after the initial call, the fire at the site had been brought under control, though officials were still working at the crash site just before 22:00 local time. The area has been cordoned off as investigators examine the wreckage and gather evidence about the circumstances of the flight and the crash.

The Sûreté du Québec's Major Crime Unit is leading the investigation, working alongside crime scene technicians and investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. The Transportation Safety Board confirmed that a specialized team of air safety investigators has been deployed to the crash site to gather evidence and determine the cause of the accident.fakti.bg

Who is investigating the crash

Transport Canada will appoint a minister's observer to track the Transportation Safety Board's investigation, assist in identifying regulatory safety deficiencies, and keep the transport minister directly updated. Federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon offered condolences on social media and said civil aviation safety remains a top priority for the federal government.

Preliminary findings issued by police on Saturday evening indicate that the helicopter likely experienced technical or operational difficulties shortly after takeoff, crashing a short distance from its departure point. The aircraft appeared to be a private helicopter, according to Sergeant Audrey-Anne Bilodeau of the Sûreté du Québec. Authorities have not publicly identified the helicopter's make, model, registration or operator, nor disclosed where the flight originated and where it was headed. The exact model of the helicopter has not been reported, and it is not known whether there were only crew or passengers on board. No cause has been determined.

What remains unknown about the flight

The victims' names and ages have not been released, and police said the identification process may take a few days. The Sûreté du Québec's spokesperson said emergency services were called to the scene along Rang des Écossais at approximately 2:30 p.m. ET, and the crash site is located near the Rang des Écossais road off Highway 10.