A helicopter air ambulance belonging to Ontario’s provincially funded service, Ornge, crashed shortly after takeoff May 31, killing its four-man crew of two pilots and two flight paramedics. The 1980 Sikorsky S-76A took off from rural Moosonee along St. James Bay at 12:10 a.m. en route to the remote First Nation village of Attawapiskat for a patient pick-up. It crashed almost immediately after takeoff into a densely wooded area less than 3,000 feet off the airport and burned.
Ornge officials characterized weather at the time of the crash as “adequate,” with some low clouds and mist. Due to darkness and poor weather at the crash site, a Bell CH-146 Griffon (Canadian military 412EP) rescue helicopter from Canadian Forces Base Trenton had to turn back and CF rescuers parachuting from a C-130 did not reach the scene until six hours later, when they confirmed the fatalities. The patient was later transported by fixed-wing aircraft.
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