Tool bag struck rear tail rotor before deadly Tweed crash: TSB

A preliminary report into a helicopter crash in Tweed, Ont., that killed all four Hydro One employees on board, blames the wreckage on a tool bag that flew off the aircraft, striking the rear tail rotor.

The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada announced its initial findings on Thursday. A full report on the deadly December 14 crash has not yet been completed.

The TSB said a pilot was transporting three linemen who were conducting Hydro One maintenance work on high-power transmission lines in the area.

Several tool bags were on board at the time.

“These bags, when carried externally, are normally attached with double-lock carabiners,” it posted on its website. “Shortly before the accident, the pilot picked up the 3 linemen at the base of a tower and was transporting them to a nearby staging area.

“While nearing the staging area, one of the bags that was being carried externally blew off the platform and, along with its attached carabiner, struck the tail rotor.”

The pilot then attempted to land, but lost control of the aircraft, causing all three passengers to be ejected from the helicopter while it was still airborne, the TSB found. Shortly after, the helicopter crashed in a snow-covered field outside Tweed, north of Kingston.

“The weather at the time of the accident was suitable for this type of operation and is not considered a factor,” the TSB added.

The initial probe into the crash also found two of the three passengers weren’t wearing seat-belts.

The tip of helicopter’s tail rotor blade was found 600 meters away from the crash site, along with a heavily damaged white canvas bag that was still attached to the carabiner.

The TSB issued a safety advisory Thursday in light of the crash, saying cargo must be adequately secured at all times and warning that passengers who don’t wear seat belts risk serious injury or death in an emergency.

The men killed in the crash were identified by Hydro One as 39-year-old James Baragar, 27-year-old Kyle Shorrock, and Jeff Howes and Darcy Jansen, both 26.

Hydro One has said Baragar, the pilot, had been with the company since 2009.

Greg Kiraly, Hydro One’s chief operating officer, said Thursday that the utility is treating the matter with “the utmost seriousness.”

“We are pleased that the TSB has been able to release this preliminary information and we will be incorporating today’s safety bulletin into our own review of our operating practices and procedures,” Kiraly said.

The helicopter did not have a cockpit voice recorder or a flight data recorder, but the TSB has said it recovered a GPS, which will help in the investigation.

As a result of its initial findings, the TSB says it is taking the following steps in the coming days and weeks: (Source TSB)

• Review the helicopter maintenance records, pilot training, qualifications and proficiency records.
• Review operational policies and procedures and regulatory requirements.
• Conduct interviews with family, witnesses, the helicopter operator and others who may provide additional information useful to the investigation.
• Examine previous occurrences involving the Aerospatiale AS 350 B-2’s, and subsequent safety action taken in Canada, the United States and other jurisdictions.