Woman dead, pilot critically injured in central Alberta helicopter crash
In a statement, RCMP said the sole passenger, a 54-year-old woman, died of her injuries.
The pilot of the aircraft, a 63-year-old man from Lacombe County, was taken by STARS to hospital in a life-threatening condition.
Sylvan Lake RCMP said officers were dispatched to the scene of the crash near a private landing strip in Lacombe County in central Alberta around 12:30 p.m.
Upon arrival, emergency responders attempted to assist the female passenger but she was declared dead after being pulled from the wreckage, RCMP said. Police said she was a resident of Benalto, Alta., a hamlet 15 kilometres west of Sylvan Lake.
Officers remained on site until the scene was surrendered to investigators with the Transportation Safety Board.
In a statement Sunday, officials with the TSB said the crash occurred at the Hespero/Safron Residence Heliport, about 40 kilometres from the Red Deer Regional Airport
Officials said the crash occurred during landing and involved a Bell Helicopter Textron Canada Ltd. 206L-4 helicopter.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Violent and public Kelowna attack prompts concerns about how intimate partner violence is handled
The family of a woman killed in a public attack in Kelowna are remembering a loving mother. Her death is also prompting concerns about how incidents of intimate partner violence are handled by the justice system. Meera Bains has more on the calls for change.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
News anchor Travis Dhanraj says he was pushed out of CBC for highlighting systemic issues, editorial imbalance
Former CBC News reporter and anchor Travis Dhanraj said he had no choice but to resign from the broadcaster after he says he raised systemic issues in its newsroom related to lack of diversity of opinion and editorial independence and was stonewalled by his employer. His lawyer says he intends to sue the public broadcaster. In an internal note to fellow CBC staff sent out Monday morning, Dhanraj said he felt he had no choice but to leave the broadcaster after his questioning of some of the CBC's editorial decisions and the "gap between CBC's stated values and its internal reality" was met with resistance. "When I pushed for honest conversations about systemic issues and editorial imbalance, I was shut out. Sidelined. Silenced. And ultimately, erased," Dhanraj wrote in the email sent to various CBC group email addresses from his CBC account. He accused his employer of "tokenism masquerading as diversity, problematic political coverage protocols, and the erosion of editorial independence," and said he had to "navigate a workplace culture defined by retaliation, exclusion, and psychological harm." CBC 'categorically rejects' allegations In an emailed statement, CBC spokesperson Kerry Kelly said the Crown corporation "categorically rejects" Dhanraj's allegations about what led to his departure, including his claim that his decision to leave was not voluntary and that he was "forced to resign." Kelly did not elaborate on Dhanraj's resignation or the reason he went on leave earlier this year; nor did she comment on his specific claims about editorial independence and newsroom culture at CBC. "We are saddened to see this public attack on the integrity of CBC News," she said. Dhanraj also posted a Google form on the social media site X earlier Monday in which he asked people to leave their contact information so he could keep them informed about the case. "When the time is right, I'll pull the curtain back," he wrote. "I'll share everything…I'll tell you what is really happening inside the walls of your CBC." The post was later removed. When CBC News reached out to Dhanraj's Toronto-based lawyer, Kathryn Marshall, to ask if he intends to sue the broadcaster, she responded with a one-word answer: "Yes." She also told the Toronto Star that Dhanraj plans to file a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission. Previously worked at CP24, CTV, Global Born in Alberta, Dhanraj was a general assignment reporter for CBC Edmonton and CBC Toronto before leaving for positions at CP24, Global News and CTV News. He returned to CBC in 2021 as a senior parliamentary reporter and later hosted Marketplace and Canada Tonight. Speculation began swirling in February when Dhanraj was abruptly no longer appearing on air, and Canada Tonight was replaced by Ian Hanomansing's Hanomansing Tonight. CBC confirmed at the time that Dhanraj was on leave but did not provide additional details. Dhanraj's lawyer said the leave was due to "ongoing systemic issues" at the broadcaster. The first public sign of tension surfaced a few months earlier when Dhanraj posted on X in April 2024 that he had requested an interview with then CBC president Catherine Tait when new funding for the public broadcaster was announced in the federal budget. According to a copy of his resignation letter published by the Toronto Sun, Dhanraj said CBC launched an investigation over that post and asked him to sign a non-disclosure agreement, which he said he refused to do.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
News anchor Travis Dhanraj says he was pushed out of CBC for highlighting systemic issues, editorial imbalance
Former CBC News reporter and anchor Travis Dhanraj said he had no choice but to resign from the broadcaster after he says he raised systemic issues in its newsroom related to lack of diversity of opinion and editorial independence and was stonewalled by his employer. His lawyer says he intends to sue the public broadcaster. In an internal note to fellow CBC staff sent out Monday morning, Dhanraj said he felt he had no choice but to leave the broadcaster after his questioning of some of the CBC's editorial decisions and the "gap between CBC's stated values and its internal reality" was met with resistance. "When I pushed for honest conversations about systemic issues and editorial imbalance, I was shut out. Sidelined. Silenced. And ultimately, erased," Dhanraj wrote in the email sent to various CBC group email addresses from his CBC account. He accused his employer of "tokenism masquerading as diversity, problematic political coverage protocols, and the erosion of editorial independence," and said he had to "navigate a workplace culture defined by retaliation, exclusion, and psychological harm." CBC 'categorically rejects' allegations In an emailed statement, CBC spokesperson Kerry Kelly said the Crown corporation "categorically rejects" Dhanraj's allegations about what led to his departure, including his claim that his decision to leave was not voluntary and that he was "forced to resign." Kelly did not elaborate on Dhanraj's resignation or the reason he went on leave earlier this year; nor did she comment on his specific claims about editorial independence and newsroom culture at CBC. "We are saddened to see this public attack on the integrity of CBC News," she said. Dhanraj also posted a Google form on the social media site X earlier Monday in which he asked people to leave their contact information so he could keep them informed about the case. "When the time is right, I'll pull the curtain back," he wrote. "I'll share everything…I'll tell you what is really happening inside the walls of your CBC." The post was later removed. When CBC News reached out to Dhanraj's Toronto-based lawyer, Kathryn Marshall, to ask if he intends to sue the broadcaster, she responded with a one-word answer: "Yes." She also told the Toronto Star that Dhanraj plans to file a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission. Previously worked at CP24, CTV, Global Born in Alberta, Dhanraj was a general assignment reporter for CBC Edmonton and CBC Toronto before leaving for positions at CP24, Global News and CTV News. He returned to CBC in 2021 as a senior parliamentary reporter and later hosted Marketplace and Canada Tonight. Speculation began swirling in February when Dhanraj was abruptly no longer appearing on air, and Canada Tonight was replaced by Ian Hanomansing's Hanomansing Tonight. CBC confirmed at the time that Dhanraj was on leave but did not provide additional details. Dhanraj's lawyer said the leave was due to "ongoing systemic issues" at the broadcaster. The first public sign of tension surfaced a few months earlier when Dhanraj posted on X in April 2024 that he had requested an interview with then CBC president Catherine Tait when new funding for the public broadcaster was announced in the federal budget. According to a copy of his resignation letter published by the Toronto Sun, Dhanraj said CBC launched an investigation over that post and asked him to sign a non-disclosure agreement, which he said he refused to do.
