Home-built helicopter crashed near Edmonton while practicing emergency landing manoeuvre: TSB

A helicopter that crashed Saturday in a wheat field northeast of Edmonton was built from a homemade kit, according to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.

“The helicopter was a home-built helicopter, meaning it’s a kit that an individual can purchase and assemble,” TSB spokesperson Chris Krepski said on Sunday.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The helicopter was a home-built helicopter, meaning it's a kit that an individual can purchase and assemble," TSB spokesperson Chris Krepski said on Sunday.

The crash happened at around 5 p.m. Saturday. The helicopter ended up in a field near Highway 21 and Township Road 534 in Strathcona County.

When emergency crews arrived on scene, the pilot of the helicopter was standing beside the downed aircraft. He suffered only minor injuries.

“There was no fire. Everyone walked away so it was a lucky day,” said Tim Moen, the deputy chief of Strathcona County Emergency Services.

Krepski said the pilot was practicing auto-rotations when the crash happened. An auto-rotation is a manoeuvre that helicopter pilots use to land a helicopter in case of engine trouble, he explained.

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“During practicing an auto-rotation, they had some engine trouble, so the pilot continued the auto-rotation and the helicopter landed hard,” Krepski said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "During practicing an auto-rotation, they had some engine trouble, so the pilot continued the auto-rotation and the helicopter landed hard," Krepski said.

A witness told emergency crews the tail of the helicopter came off. The aircraft was extensively damaged in the crash.

Krepski didn’t know how much experience the pilot had flying the helicopter. He said the helicopter was a RotorWay Exec, one of the more common home-built helicopter kits. He couldn’t say how many of these types of helicopters are registered in Canada.

“I can’t say for certain, but they do exist,” he said. “Individuals often assemble or build their own aircraft and they have to meet certain approvals during the build process by Transport Canada in order for it to be able to fly.”

Krepski said the TSB gathered information and spoke to several people about the crash and has “decided not to pursue further investigation into this matter.”