Lightning struck a flight passenger helicopter in British Columbia
All passengers and pilots survived.
A routine passenger commuter flight helicopter departed Vancouver at 9:11 a.m. Tuesday for Victoria. There were 12 passengers and two pilots on board. It was struck by lightning over the Strait of Georgia, which sheared off two tail rotor blades and disabled the control and navigation systems.
The helicopter, 1,289 meters above the water level, then began to drop. Without navigation aids, the pilots managed to find Victoria and guide the damaged aircraft to its destination.
"We kept dropping down and bouncing around," one passenger recalls of the experience. "The two gentlemen in the seat behind me called their wives to say goodbye."
The same passenger told reporters that she opted to take the ferry back to Vancouver in that evening.
HeliJet officials have reported that all 14 people on board were unhurt. However, an internal safety board investigation has already been initiated to determine what happened and assess the damage to the helicopter. Both pilots will also be questioned in detail.
Environment Canada had previously issued a special weather statement for the region, warning of heavy rain and high winds. However, experts believe it is unclear whether the weather was severe enough for the company to consider canceling the flight. Conclusions about this will be drawn during the investigation.
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