Close X
Monday, November 25, 2024
ADVT 
National

B.C. helicopter lands safely after being hit by lightning, Helijet says

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 25 Oct, 2023 09:52 AM
  • B.C. helicopter lands safely after being hit by lightning, Helijet says

A commercial helicopter with 14 people on board landed safely in Victoria on Tuesday after it was hit by lightning.

Rick Hill, the vice-president of Helijet, said the aircraft was at about 1,200 metres when it was hit by lightning, the two pilots on board took the chopper down to below the clouds and then landed without trouble in Victoria a few minutes later. 

Hill said such an event is very, very rare, and in his 36 years of experiences, it's only happened twice. 

He said there were no injuries, although he's sure that such an incident would certainly shake up those on board. 

Hill said there was some damage to the aircraft, including the tail rotor, but the two pilots on board did a great job in handling the rare situation. 

"I think they really did a fabulous job and relied on that training and were able to safely bring everybody to their destination," said Hill. 

Hill said staff on the ground spoke to passengers to ensure no one was hurt.

The damaged chopper is now grounded. Pilots will be debriefed and given some time to process this event, he said.

Hill said the company is working with the Transportation Safety Board to determine what happened and assess the damage to the helicopter. 

Environment Canada issued a special weather statement Tuesday covering Greater Victoria and other parts of Vancouver Island, saying between 30 and 50 millimetres of rain was expected

MORE National ARTICLES

Healthcare Now: Bridging the Equality Gap South of the Fraser

Healthcare Now: Bridging the Equality Gap South of the Fraser
Organized by Dr. Randeep Gill, an ER physician from Surrey Memorial Hospital, and a coalition of healthcare practitioners and community members. This demonstration will be held on September 9th at 2pm at the Surrey City Hall Civic Plaza. Dr. Gill and his coalition intend to shed light on the dire state of medical services and the urgent need for immediate action to address the crisis.

Healthcare Now: Bridging the Equality Gap South of the Fraser

Slow housing market: REBGV

Slow housing market: REBGV
Vancouver's housing market is on track to see slowing sales and price stabilization. The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver says that's because of higher borrowing costs combined with seasonal patterns.

Slow housing market: REBGV

Langley crash sends 1 to hospital

Langley crash sends 1 to hospital
On Tuesday just before 3:00 am, Langley RCMP received reports of an impaired driver operating a red motorcycle in the 20300 block of Fraser Highway. As officers were arriving to the area a witness directed them to Logan Avenue near 200 Street where the driver was found lying on the side of the rode and a red motorcycle was in the ditch.

Langley crash sends 1 to hospital

Church fire in Chilliwack

Church fire in Chilliwack
Fire investigators in Chilliwack are sifting through the charred debris of a church as they try to determine what sparked the blaze that gutted the building. Flames broke out at the Cross Connection Church just before three yesterday afternoon.  

Church fire in Chilliwack

Canada's promised Indo-Pacific trade representative to be based in Jakarta: Mary Ng

Canada's promised Indo-Pacific trade representative to be based in Jakarta: Mary Ng
Canada will open an export development office in Jakarta and has named an Indo-Pacific trade representative to help Canadian businesses enter new markets in the region, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Tuesday while in Indonesia.

Canada's promised Indo-Pacific trade representative to be based in Jakarta: Mary Ng

Students head back to school as heat warnings blanket Central Canada

Students head back to school as heat warnings blanket Central Canada
The government of British Columbia has said no schools were damaged by the fires that tore through parts of the province, but that doesn't mean students will be unaffected.  The flames passed close by some schools in Kelowna, B.C., leaving destruction in their wake. 

Students head back to school as heat warnings blanket Central Canada