By Canadian Press

Transportation Safety Board releases report on deadly Hydro One helicopter crash

Oct 30, 2019 | 8:24 AM

TORONTO — The federal transportation safety watchdog says clearer regulations around seatbelts are needed to reduce the risk of death or injury in accidents like a helicopter crash that killed four men nearly two years ago.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada says the government must clarify the definition of a seatbelt in the Canadian Aviation Regulations so that people know they need to wear both the lap strap and shoulder harness.

The regulation currently defines a seatbelt as “either a lap strap or a lap strap combined with a shoulder harness,” which the board says may lead people to believe wearing only one of them is sufficient.

The agency made the recommendation in releasing the findings of its probe of a Hydro One helicopter crash that occurred in eastern Ontario on Dec. 14, 2017. The federal government has 90 days to respond.

Investigators found the lap straps on two of the three seatbelts in the helicopter’s passenger area were unfastened, and the shoulder harness portions were rolled up and taped with electrical tape so they couldn’t be used. 

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They also determined that an improperly secured tool bag hit the rear rotor of the helicopter, severely damaging it and causing the aircraft to become “uncontrollable.”

The crash near Tweed, Ont., killed the pilot and three line workers who had recently boarded the aircraft. They had departed from the base of a high-power transmission tower and were en route to a nearby staging area when the crash took place.

This report by the Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2019.

The Canadian Press