Two dead, one hurt in helicopter crash on B.C. central coast

Advertisement

Advertise with us

PORT MCNEILL - A British Columbia helicopter company says two people are dead and one person is injured after one of its aircraft went down on the central coast during forestry operations.

Read this article for free:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Subscribe and receive a limited-edition Free Press branded hat or tote.

Digital Subscription

One year of digital access for only $205*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.

PORT MCNEILL – A British Columbia helicopter company says two people are dead and one person is injured after one of its aircraft went down on the central coast during forestry operations.

West Coast Helicopters says its pilot and a crew member from a logging company were killed when the Hughes 500 helicopter crashed in Loughborough Inlet around 6:15 a.m. on Tuesday.

BC Emergency Health Services says a third person was flown out by air ambulance, first to the Canadian Forces Base at Comox, B.C., then to hospital where they are in serious but stable condition.

Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) signage is pictured outside TSB offices in Ottawa on Monday, May 1, 2023.  THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) signage is pictured outside TSB offices in Ottawa on Monday, May 1, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

West Coast Helicopters says the pilot had worked for them since 2021 and “always had a smile on his face.”

It says he was well known in the community of Port McNeill on Vancouver Island.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada says it is deploying investigators who will arrive on-site Wednesday morning.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 14, 2026.

Report Error Submit a Tip

Canada

LOAD CANADA ARTICLES