AKIMISKI ISLAND, NUNAVUT — The Transportation Safety Board is reminding those flying in a helicopter to be vigilant after a passenger was killed by a spinning tail rotor during goose hunting season in Nunavut.
The board says in a report that a pilot with Heli Explore Inc. was flying goose hunters back and forth from Attawapiskat Airport in Ontario to various camps on Akimiski Island in Nunavut in April of last year.
After the helicopter landed near a camp on the last trip of the day, the pilot remained in his seat in case of an emergency and a passenger began unloading gear with help from a snowmobile driver who met them there.
The report says all blades were still rotating when the snowmobile driver began screaming and gesturing for the man to stop moving toward the back of the helicopter.
The board says the man continued attempting to cross to the right side of the helicopter by ducking under its tail but was struck by the moving tail rotor.
A footnote in the report says that anyone who is riding a helicopter should be aware that a when tail rotor is spinning, it is difficult, if not impossible, to see.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 12, 2025.
The Canadian Press
