Occurrence
On 09 November 2022, at 0911 Pacific Standard Time, a Geotech Aviation Ltd. Airbus Helicopters AS350 B3 helicopter (registration C-FVCR, serial number 4434) departed from a staging area at Kitsault, British Columbia. The helicopter was operating under visual flight rules with only the pilot on board, conducting an airborne geophysical survey over mountainous terrain.
The aircraft flew to the survey area, located approximately 12 nautical miles south-southwest of the staging area. After about 1.5 hours of flying and completing 6 low-level survey passes, the pilot reported feeling unwell and stated that he was returning to the staging area earlier than scheduled.
The helicopter did not arrive at the staging area. At 1118, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Victoria, British Columbia, received an emergency locator transmitter signal from the aircraft.
Wreckage and Injuries
Search and rescue aircraft located the helicopter 2 nautical miles south-southwest of the staging area, on a heavily forested mountainside. The pilot received fatal injuries. The occurrence helicopter was destroyed.
Investigation
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada classified this occurrence as a class 3 investigation. Such investigations analyze a small number of safety issues and may result in recommendations, typically completed within 450 days. No probable cause has been stated at this stage.