Accident Overview
On a Pacific daylight time afternoon near the head of Knight Inlet, British Columbia, a VIH Helicopters Ltd. Bell 206B Jet Ranger (registration C-GWUF, serial number 1182) with only the pilot on board touched down in a toe-in landing at an unprepared helicopter landing site in a steep, stream gorge. After the helicopter was stabilized with the toes of the skids contacting the surface, one passenger entered the left front seat. The pilot then motioned the second passenger to enter the left rear seat.
As that passenger transferred weight from the ground to the skid, the helicopter slipped backwards on the loose rock surface. The pilot applied collective pitch and forward cyclic to maintain the hover, but could not prevent the helicopter from turning left. The pilot lost visual reference and control. The helicopter became airborne, struck trees, rolled over, and came to rest on its left side, almost inverted. Both passengers sustained minor injuries; the pilot sustained serious injuries. The helicopter was substantially damaged; no post-impact fire occurred. The accident site is located at 51°04′24″ N, 125°32′37″ W, elevation about 1,350 feet.
History of the Flight
Earlier that day, after flying two forest-harvesting engineers on a reconnaissance for potential pick-up sites, the pilot landed them at a drop-point on the ocean shoreline below the accident site. The engineers climbed up the steep gorge, eventually stopping at a site they assessed as suitable for helicopter pick-up. They called the pilot, who took off from base camp about two nautical miles away. The pilot located the passengers and the pick-up site, assessed it as suitable, and flew to the touchdown zone. He had not previously landed at that site.
The slope required a toe-in landing using the hover-exit procedure. The pilot lowered the helicopter in the hover, placed the toes of both skids on the surface, and stabilized. When the pilot indicated it was safe, the first passenger climbed onto the left skid, opened the left front door, entered, and strapped in with the full seat restraint. The helicopter remained stable.
The pilot then motioned the second passenger to enter. As that passenger climbed onto the left skid and began moving aft, transferring full weight onto the skid, the toes of the skids abruptly slipped downslope. The pilot instinctively applied collective lever, forward cyclic, and right pedal, but could not see out due to increasing condensation on windshields and rain/mist outside. He lost visual reference with terrain. The helicopter became airborne with the second passenger clinging to the left skid; that passenger released his grip and dropped to the ground. The helicopter, turning and rolling right, struck trees with rotor blades and crashed onto a rock ledge about 10 feet ahead of the pick-up point.
After coming to rest, the engine continued running. Some smoke appeared in the cabin but no fire. The left-seat passenger turned off the fuel valve and closed the throttle. Both passengers, trained first-aid attendants skilled in forest survival, removed the pilot, administered first aid, set up a camp, and used satellite telephones and handheld radios to communicate with agencies. One passenger manually activated the emergency locator transmitter.
Search and Rescue
Following the accident, passengers established communication with base camp and the operator. Canadian Department of National Defence Search and Rescue was alerted within 30 minutes. Tasked by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Victoria, British Columbia, aircraft from 19 Wing Comox searched, hampered by nightfall and poor weather. Toward midnight, a break in fog allowed a Cormorant helicopter to locate and winch the survivors, who were transported to hospital in Comox.
Landing Area
The landing site was a terraced ledge about 40 feet wide in a steep gorge on the west face of the mountain, adjacent to a rapidly flowing waterfall. Surrounded by tall trees and near-vertical rock faces, the surface consisted of loose rock and forest debris, constantly wet from waterfall flow. Distance from touchdown point to waterfall rock face was about 50 feet; the helicopter ended about 20 feet from the waterfall.
Survival
The full seat restraints and other features aided survival. The pilot was seriously injured; passengers had minor injuries. The passengers' training and communication equipment facilitated timely rescue.