The investigation into the helicopter crash in which the pilot, his wife and two of his daughters died in January 2021 in northern Alberta has linked the cause of human error. The pilot erred in judging the weather conditions for his night flight, investigators concluded.
In a press release released Wednesday, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) indicates that investigations conducted to clarify the causes of the accident have revealed that an inaccurate analysis of weather conditions led the pilot to make the decision to fly when weather conditions were below the limits required for visual flight (VFR) at night .
The pilot, his wife and two youngest daughters died in the plane crash. Three older children were not on the aircraft.
The family lived in DeBolt, a small farming community about 50 kilometers east of Grande Prairie and about 500 kilometers northwest of Edmonton.
” During the day, family members repeatedly asked the pilot if the weather would be acceptable for the flight home that night. The pilot replied that he had checked the weather on his phone and the weather would be acceptable for the return flight. “
Blurred visual cues
Less than 8 minutes after takeoff, around 7:41 pm, the Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter crashed into a field before catching fire.
Pilot Wade Balisky, 45, his wife, Aubrey Balisky, 37, and daughters Jewel, 8, and Fleur, 2, were killed in the accident.
Investigators believe that shortly after takeoff, the pilot’s visual cues were blurred by night and clouds and he was disoriented in space and could not determine the speed or height of the aircraft.helicopter-related lupa.
On the day of the accident, the visibility and ceilings reported by aerodrome routine weather reports for the area where the crash occurred were described as acceptable for night flight.
The graphical area forecast for the proposed flight, on the other hand, indicated visibility below the required minimum. This information can be accessed by calling the Nav Canada Flight Information Center, the report explains.
However, investigators found no record that the pilot called to find out.
Source: Radio-Canada
