Winds caused fatal Yukon helicopter crash during landing training: report

EDMONTON – An investigation by federal authorities has found that a helicopter crash that killed one person just outside of Whitehorse was caused by a change in wind conditions during a landing practice.

The Transportation Safety Board says the crash happened on May 2, 2025, when a Horizon Helicopters aircraft left Whitehorse International Airport with a training pilot and a newly hired candidate on a practice exercise.

The report says the helicopter conducted its landing and takeoff training in a valley just outside of Whitehorse, where there was no way of telling the wind direction until an aircraft is in the valley itself.

The investigation shows that after an hour of training, the helicopter crashed when winds changed, creating a phenomenon where the aircraft lost lift and didn’t have enough altitude to recover.

The crash sent one of the helicopter’s rotor blades into the cabin, striking and killing the candidate while the training pilot survived.

The report is recommending pilots be aware of the risk of helicopters losing lift during unpredictable wind conditions and for training to be conducted “at a location where wind direction and velocity are easily observed, such as an airport.”

“Typically, a helicopter in (the phenomenon) will lose considerable altitude before it is able to resume normal flight,” the report says. “If insufficient altitude is available, the helicopter may impact the ground before it is able to recover from (the phenomenon).”

The report says Horizon has since changed its policy to conduct emergency training at an airport. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2026.