Overview
- The helicopter crashed into a field in Sainte-Brigide-d’Iberville and caught fire, with first responders finding the blaze and four people declared dead at the scene after the incident happened on Saturday at about 2:30 p.m.
- Quebec’s Sûreté du Québec Major Crimes Unit has taken charge of the local investigation and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada has deployed investigators to examine the aircraft and wreckage.
- Transport Canada is monitoring the response and the federal transport minister has appointed a minister’s observer to receive updates on the investigation and any regulatory issues.
- Officials have not released the victims’ identities, the helicopter’s owner, or where the flight began, and investigators say the cause remains under active inquiry.
- Because the helicopter was burning when crews arrived, investigators face added challenges in preserving evidence and expect victim identification and a cause determination to take days as they examine technical, operational and environmental factors.