Investigators recover voice recorder in fatal Ornge crash

A Sikorsky S-76 helicopter, operated by Finnish company Copterline, the same type as the Ornge air ambulance that crashed near Moosonee, Ont. on Friday May 31, 2013, is seen taking off from a heliport in the Tallinn harbor in this undated photo. (NIPA)

Investigators have recovered the cockpit voice recorder of an Ornge helicopter that crashed in a remote area of northern Ontario, killing two pilots and two paramedics.

Transportation Safety Board spokesperson Chris Krepski said the recorder will be sent to the agency’s lab in Ottawa for analysis, in hopes it will help give them some clues as to what caused Friday’s crash.

"If the data from the (voice recorder) is useable, of course it will be a great help to the investigation," Krepski told The Canadian Press.

The tragic accident occurred at 12:11 a.m. Friday, shortly after a Sikorsky S76 chopper took off from Moosonee airport to pick a patient in the Attawapiskat First Nations community.

All four people on board died as a result: Capt. Don Filliter, First Officer Jacques Dupuy, Primary Care Flight Paramedic Dustin Dagenais, and Primary Care Flight Paramedic Chris Snowball.

Krepski said investigators have determined that the chopper underwent a "high energy impact" crash, and they continue to interview potential witnesses and air ambulance officials.

As a precaution, Ornge has grounded its five remaining Sikorsky choppers. Ornge is Ontario’s air ambulance service, transporting approximately 18,000 patients each year.

Ornge president and CEO Dr. Andrew McCallum said service should not be affected. Operations will continue with its 10 PC-12 airplanes, 10 AW-139 choppers and other carriers.

"We have patients we continue to serve and we’re working hard to ensure that’s maintained," McCallum said Friday.

News of the four men’s death has resulted in an outpouring of sympathy.

On Saturday, Sudbury MPP and Minister of Natural Resources David Orazietti offered his condolences to Filliter’s family. Filliter, 54, was the former chief helicopter pilot for Ontario’s MNR.

"I want to extend my heartfelt sympathy to Don’s family and friends, as well as to the loved ones of the second pilot and the two paramedics on-board," he wrote in an email.

Orazietti described him as a "leader" and "innovator" who made significant contributions to the development of the ministry’s air service. The veteran pilot, who joined Ornge in March, is survived by his wife and two children.

Dupuy, Filiter’s co-pilot, had joined Ornge last August. The 43-year-old was a bush pilot in Quebec and had decades of flying experience. He leaves behind a wife and two children.

"Their lives were lost serving the public and we owe deep debt of gratitude," McCallum said.

On Friday, Chris Snowball’s father said his son died doing what he loved. "He was the kind of guy that, if he saw someone on the side of the road, would stop and identify himself as a paramedic. He just always wanted to help out," John Snowball told The Canadian Press.

Ryan Gould, a friend and colleague of Dagenais had similar words for the Moose Factory, Ont., native.

"He would go above and beyond to make anybody more comfortable or feel more at ease," he said. "What made him good? Just his whole way. One of those guys that everybody wants to be around, makes everybody feel good."

With files from The Canadian Press