The remains of all crew members of a CH-148 Cyclone military helicopter that crashed off the coast of Greece in April have now been identified.
The Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario identified four crew members who were killed in the April 29 crash, the Canadian Armed Forces said in a news release Saturday afternoon:
-
Sub-Lt. Matthew Pyke, naval warfare officer, originally from Truro, N.S.
-
Capt. Kevin Hagen, pilot, originally from Nanaimo, B.C.
-
Capt. Maxime Miron-Morin, air combat systems officer, originally from Bécancour, Que.
-
MCpl. Matthew Cousins, airborne electronic sensor operator, originally from Guelph, Ont.
Their remains were located and recovered during a combined CAF-United States Navy search and recovery operation conducted between May 25 and June 2, the release said. The families of all crew members have been notified.
Previously the remains of Sub-Lt. Abbigail Cowbrough, a marine systems engineering officer originally from Toronto, were identified shortly after the accident. The partial remains of Capt. Brenden MacDonald, a pilot originally from New Glasgow, N.S., were identified May 9.
“Over the coming days, our fallen who have now been positively identified will be released to the families so they can be brought home,” the CAF said in the release. “Ceremonial arrangements are being planned by the Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force in consultation with the families, and will be communicated when available.”
The helicopter was deployed on HMCS Fredericton under Operation REASSURANCE. The aircraft was conducting a high-speed, low altitude pass near the frigate for a photo shoot and was getting ready for a landing when it crashed into the Ionian Sea, Postmedia has reported.
A preliminary report by the military released this month concluded the helicopter encountered an “unrecoverable” event before the crash.
The ongoing investigation will focus on aircraft systems and human factors, the CAF said. It was returning to the ship from a routine surface reconnaissance mission, followed by additional training involving “flight deck evolutions” for the aircrew before landing.
“During this final complex manoeuvring turn to close with the ship, the aircraft did not respond as the crew would have anticipated,” the report said. “This event occurred at a low altitude, was unrecoverable, and the aircraft entered a high energy descent and impacted the water astern the ship.”
