Photo by Andrew Pritchett The Canadian Armed Forces has released a brief summary of the circumstances surrounding the crash of a Cormorant helicopter at the 9 Wing Gander on March 10. Six people were on board when the incident occurred. Three of the six were slightly injured, while two were taken to hospital seriously. The researcher says that the aircraft, known as “Outcast 903” was planned for two training missions in the 9 Wing Gander. At the end of the first training mission, the crew performed swinging maneuvers at the intersection of corridors 31 and 21. During the final clockwise rotation, the pilot’s seat fell suddenly and unexpectedly. This caused the aircraft to shift in a clockwise direction in the opposite direction. The aircraft turned to the left, causing the helicopter to turn to the right. It was then that the right wheel, the horizontal stabilizer and the main rotor blades hit the treadmill. The crash caused severe damage to the helicopter and the investigation into the causes is focused on material and human factors.
