Bell 206B Helicopter Collision with Terrain in British Columbia

Accident Overview and Weather Conditions On the morning of the accident, a pilot was transporting survey crews in the Bear Valley area, approximately 45 nautical miles north of Mackenzie, British Columbia. The pilot began flying at about 0645 Pacific daylight time. At about 1200, a survey crew requested a pick-up for about 1400 and reported a 100- to 150-foot ceiling and visibility of about 300 metres. At about 1445, the pilot was attempting to locate the crew at a 5,100-foot elevation, but low cloud, fog, and precipitation prevented visual contact with the landing area. The pilot remained in two-way radio contact with the ground crews, noting that the lower pick-up pad was fogged in and that he could not see the trees or ground below. Witnesses observed the helicopter emerge from the base of the low cloud in a right-hand descending turn, with a roughly 40-degree nose-down and 40-degree right-bank attitude, before it struck trees and collided with the terrain at 5,200 feet above sea level inside a cirque. The pilot was fatally injured, and the helicopter was destroyed by impact forces and a post-crash fire. Witnesses reported that waves of low cloud and fog were moving through the area, with visibility diminished to about one mile in drizzle. The sky condition at the drop site was described as a solid overcast around 600 feet above ground level, and the fog and low cloud coming up the slope caused an overcast ceiling of about 300 feet above ground level. The nearest weather reporting station was 45 nautical miles away in Mackenzie, where conditions were significantly different due to the distance and mountainous terrain.