'He just loved working offshore': Families gather to remember crew of fatal Cougar Flight 491
Elizabeth Whitten | CBC News | Posted: March 12, 2025 3:28 PM | Last Updated: March 12
17 people died when Cougar Flight 491 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in 2009
It's been 16 years since Cougar Flight 491 crashed in the Atlantic Ocean, killing 17 of the 18 crew members on board while travelling to the oil fields off the eastern coast of Newfoundland.
In the early morning hours on Wednesday, a small crowd gathered on the banks of Quidi Vidi Lake in St. John's where a memorial stands that pays tribute to those who died in the Cougar crash, as well the Universal helicopter crash that killed six people off the coast of Placentia on March 13, 1985.
John Breen's brother Pete died in the Cougar crash. He says the annual visit to the memorial is important to his family.
"He was a good athlete. He was a great father and he was just a genuine, nice person," Breen told CBC News.
Even after 16 years, Breen says he still thinks about the risks associated with working in the offshore. But when he speaks with the other family members of the victims of that crash, they try to stay positive.
"I think Pete just loved the offshore. He could have retired at the time because he was the oldest one on the helicopter. But he didn't," Breen said. "He just loved working offshore. And I think he'd be very pleased to see people gathering in his memory."
There have been safety improvements since the disaster. Breen says like most things, it can always be better.
Annual service
On the anniversary of the fatal flight, loved ones still gather for a service.
Rev. Christopher Fowler says it's humbling to help the friends and families during this time.
"What makes this memorial service fairly unique, in that it is very much family driven and it's family led. And it's really a time to remember," Fowler told CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show.
"All aspects of the service are done by family members. And the candle-lighting, which is kind of the culmination of the service, is quite a moving experience."
He said he feels a tremendous sense of responsibility to take part in the service on behalf of the families, adding they go through a range of emotions, from deep sadness, but also joy as they remember their loved ones.
He said some people travel to attend the service in St. John's, coming from as far away as British Columbia. The service is also livestreamed online, where those who are unable to be at the ceremony can ask someone present to light a candle on their behalf.
"Every family is very connected to this time and still very much involved even when the distance tends to be a bit prohibitive," said Fowler.
WATCH | Victim's brother believes there's been dramatic improvements to offshore safety:
Fowler said Wednesday's service also recognizes that Placentia Bay tragedy of 1983. While the events were years apart, the anniversaries are only a day apart.
"Within the service tonight, we pause for a moment within the service to lift up the memory of those lost over Placentia Bay," Fowler said.
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