Helicopter fighting Alberta wildfires crashes at Edson Airport, pilot walks away

A pilot walked away with minor injuries when his helicopter made a hard landing and crashed at the Edson Airport in western Alberta Thursday evening.

RCMP said officers responded just after 8 p.m. to the town’s airport, located about 180 kilometres west of Edmonton in Yellowhead County.

Police said the chopper was helping fight wildfires in the area. RCMP said forestry officials also responded to the crash, in addition to emergency crews.

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An Alberta Wildfire spokesperson said the province doesn’t own its own fleet of choppers and instead contacts private outfits to help as needed. It’s not yet known what company owned the helicopter that crashed.

Video sent to Global News shows the helicopter coming in to land and touching down hard, causing the aircraft to flip on its roof. It appeared to be heavily damaged.

Miraculously, the pilot, who was alone in the chopper, sustained only minor injuries. He was taken to hospital as a precaution, RCMP added.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada said it has been notified of the crash in Edson.

“We are currently gathering information and assessing the situation. We are to deploy a team of investigators tomorrow morning to the site,” a spokesperson said Thursday night.

Two years ago, a helicopter fighting wildfires in the same area of Alberta crashed near Evansburg, killing the pilot.

The TSB later determined a part that held the rotors onto the aircraft failed, causing them to break free — sending the cockpit plummeting to the ground.