Fatal Occurrence 2009Q2343
1 dead, 2 injured in Quebec helicopter crash
A pilot was killed and two women seriously injured in a helicopter crash in the North Shore region of Quebec.
Provincial police said the helicopter went down around 2 p.m. ET Thursday near the town of Godbout-Franquelin, about 30 kilometres northeast of Baie-Comeau.
The pilot, a 58-year-old man from Pointe-Lebel, Que., crashed the helicopter into a sandbar in the middle of the Franquelin River, near the mouth of the St. Lawrence River, provincial police said.
Two female passengers, aged 30 and 35, were taken to a hospital in the Quebec City region.
Officials had to work quickly as the tide was rising quickly, covering the sandbar.
Police are looking at the possibility that the helicopter hit a power line, said provincial police Const. Martine Isabelle.
"We know there was a hydro line that was severed not far from the crash, but we will have to wait for the results of the investigation," Isabelle said.
Isabelle said the situation had caused a major power outage in Godbout-Franquelin.
Provincial police and the Transportation Safety Board have opened an investigation.
