What happened
On the morning of 22 January 2020, two helicopters belonging to Quebec’s Service aérien gouvernemental departed from Montréal/St-Hubert Airport (CYHU) to assist in a search for missing snowmobilers near Saint-Henri-de-Taillon, Quebec. Following the conclusion of the search mission, the pilot of a Bell 206L-4, registered as C-GSQA, departed Saint-Henri-de-Taillon at 1402 to fly toward the La Tuque Aerodrome (CYLQ).
Roughly seven minutes into the flight, the aircraft struck the snow-covered, frozen surface of Lac Saint-Jean. The impact resulted in the destruction of the helicopter, though no fire occurred following the collision. The pilot sustained serious injuries but managed to exit the wreckage and contact the flight dispatcher to report the incident. A second helicopter from the same operator arrived at the scene to assist with the evacuation of the injured pilot to a hospital in Roberval, Quebec.
The investigation
The investigation examined the circumstances surrounding the flight and the environmental conditions at the time of the accident. The emergency locator transmitter on C-GSQA successfully activated, with its signal being intercepted by the Canadian Mission Control Centre in Trenton, Ontario, at 1410:34.
Findings
The investigation established that flat light conditions were a contributing factor in the helicopter striking the frozen surface of the lake.