The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is investigating a midair collision between a helicopter and a plane northwest of Edmonton on Tuesday.
It happened around 10:30 a.m., about 24 km northwest of the Villeneuve Airport, which is located just outside of Edmonton in Sturgeon County.
A spokesperson with the TSB said a Bell 212 helicopter and a Cessna 172 collided.
The spokesperson said the Bell 212, which is registered to LR Helicopter Inc., had a pilot on board. The Cessna 172, which is registered to the Namao Flying Club, had a flight instructor and a student on board, according to the TSB.
The Cessna continued to fly and landed at Villeneuve Airport, where the flying club is based. The pilot of the helicopter was able to set down in a field just northwest of Sandy Lake.
The field where the helicopter landed is owned by Mike Schulte. He said he was on his way home from town on Tuesday morning when the incident happened.
“There was a few firetrucks and police. The usual. They didn’t really make a big thing of it,” Schulte said.
“They fly around here a fair bit — the choppers and the airplanes,” he continued.
“They do practice, I think, out here quite often. They come from Villeneuve and they fly around here and do their training. But yeah, it’s kind of odd.”
Schulte said he’s not sure how long the helicopter will stay on his land.
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“They’re going to check it out. They’re either going to fly it out if it’s good to fly. If not, they’ll come and haul it out,” he said.
“A couple guys have stopped by, but I think it’ll all be cleared up, I hope, within a couple of days. There’s not too much action out here.”
There were no injuries, according to the TSB.
“No one got hurt, so that’s a good thing,” Schulte said.
A spokesperson with Alberta Forestry and Parks said the helicopter was assisting with wildfire operations in the province.
“We will work with the Transportation Safety Board to support the investigation,” said Pam Davidson.
Two TSB investigators have been sent to the scene to gather information and investigate.
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