Collision with terrain
Buchanan & Son Aviation Ltd
Bell 206L helicopter, C-FHKJ
Prince George, British Columbia
The occurrence
On , a Buchanan & Son Aviation Ltd Bell 206L helicopter, carrying 1 pilot and 5 passengers, was conducting a forestry survey flight from a private property 27 nautical miles east of Prince George Airport, British Columbia. Shortly after takeoff at 0735 Pacific Daylight Time, approximately 100 feet above the ground, the helicopter began to spin, lost altitude and struck trees.
The pilot and passenger sitting in the front of the helicopter were fatally injured, while the remaining 4 passengers all suffered minor injuries. The helicopter was severely damaged. There was a post-impact fire near the engine exhaust that was extinguished by a passenger using the aircraft fire extinguisher. The emergency locator transmitter was activated, but the antenna was damaged in the accident and the signal was not received by the Cospas-Sarsat search and rescue satellite system. The TSB is investigating.
Media materials
Deployment notice
TSB deploys a team of investigators following a fatal helicopter accident near Prince George, British Columbia
Richmond, British Columbia, 26 September 2023 — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is deploying a team of investigators to Prince George, British Columbia, to investigate a fatal accident involving a Bell 206L helicopter. The TSB will gather information and assess the occurrence.
Investigation information
A23P0127
Collision with terrain
Buchanan & Son Aviation Ltd
Bell 206L helicopter, C-FHKJ
Prince George, British Columbia
Investigator-in-charge
Dan Clarke joined the TSB’s Air Investigations Branch as a Senior Technical Investigator in the Pacific Region in 2018. During his career, Mr. Clarke worked as an aircraft maintenance engineer – structures, for several fixed wing and rotary wing operations.
Mr. Clarke also has several years’ experience as a Quality Assurance Manager. Prior to joining the TSB, he worked for Transport Canada's Civil Aviation Branch for nine years, the first four years as an Airworthiness Inspector and the last five years as a Technical Team Lead.
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Class of investigation
This is a class 3 investigation. These investigations analyze a small number of safety issues, and may result in recommendations. Class 3 investigations are generally completed within 450 days. For more information, see the Policy on Occurrence Classification.
TSB investigation process
There are 3 phases to a TSB investigation
- Field phase: a team of investigators examines the occurrence site and wreckage, interviews witnesses and collects pertinent information.
- Examination and analysis phase: the TSB reviews pertinent records, tests components of the wreckage in the lab, determines the sequence of events and identifies safety deficiencies. When safety deficiencies are suspected or confirmed, the TSB advises the appropriate authority without waiting until publication of the final report.
- Report phase: a confidential draft report is approved by the Board and sent to persons and corporations who are directly concerned by the report. They then have the opportunity to dispute or correct information they believe to be incorrect. The Board considers all representations before approving the final report, which is subsequently released to the public.
For more information, see our Investigation process page.
The TSB is an independent agency that investigates air, marine, pipeline, and rail transportation occurrences. Its sole aim is the advancement of transportation safety. It is not the function of the Board to assign fault or determine civil or criminal liability.