No injuries after heli-skiing chopper rolls in eastern B.C.
'Bad landing' to blame for helicopter roll near Blue River
A chartered helicopter with 12 people aboard made a bad landing and rolled on Thursday, but there were no injuries, according to a spokesperson with a heli-skiing outfit in eastern British Columbia.
Bob Sayer, operations manager and senior guide with Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing, says the accident near Blue River, B.C., occurred when the pilot "lost reference" and couldn't see the ground.
Sayer says the chopper was less than three metres in the air and rolled over in the snow.
Sayer says he flew in with another helicopter, collected the group and returned to the lodge in Blue River.
Rollovers are unusual, Sayer says, but they are not unknown.
A release from the Transportation Safety Board says it has sent investigators to review what happened, but Sayer says the on-site probe wrapped up within hours and the skiers were anxious to get back to the slopes.
"They are all going skiing again today," he said Friday by phone from Blue River.
"It all went really well."