Four dead in helicopter crash near Moose Factory

Ornge officials have confirmed that all four crewmembers died when its air ambulance helicopter crashed near Moosonee in the early hours of May 31.
Two pilots and two paramedics were on board the Sikorsky S76 helicopter that was on its way to Attawapiskat around 12:11 a.m. to transfer a patient, when ground control lost contact with the aircraft shortly after it left the Ornge Moosonee base.
The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre at CFB Trenton was contacted and at around 6 a.m., a military search and rescue aircraft located the crashed helicopter about a kilometre away from where it took off. The crash site is only accessible by air.
There was no patient on board the aircraft at the time.
Ornge – which is Ontario’s air ambulance service – has released the names of the deceased pilots and paramedics: Capt. Don Filliter of Skead, Ont.; First Officer Jacques Dupuy, of Otterburn-Park, Que.; Primary Care Flight Paramedic Dustin Dagenais, of Moose Factory; and Primary Care Flight Paramedic Chris Snowball, of Burlington, Ont.
The families of the deceased have been notified.
Ornge officials are unsure at this time what caused the crash and said they will fully cooperate with investigators, which will be led by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.
At a media conference, an Ornge official said that the pilots were experienced veterans and they are unsure if weather played a factor, noting it was overcast with good-visibility and light rain.
The official said Ornge grounded two other Sikorsky S76 helicopters that were scheduled to fly on the same day in case the crash was due to a “widespread” mechanical failure.
In light of the crash, the Attawapiskat patient that was to be transferred would be flown by fixed-wing aircraft instead, the official added. He did not comment on the condition of the patient.
Condolences were offered to the families following news of the crash.
Moose Cree First Nation said the community is “profoundly affected” by the crash since one of the paramedics was well known in the community.
“We mourn his passing and offer our support and heartfelt condolences to his wife, family and friends,” the First Nation said in a statement. “We also offer our deepest sympathies to those members of our First Nation that are colleagues of the four men that perished in the crash.”
Moose Cree said the First Nation admires and appreciates the dedication of those individuals that provide emergency medical care to their community and all people living in the James Bay area.
“Their bravery and commitment ensure that the people of Moose Cree First Nation and surrounding communities receive efficient and quality emergency medical care,” it said in the statement.
Timmins-James Bay MPP Gilles Bisson says he was deeply saddened to hear the news of the deaths of the four air ambulance personnel.
“This news has shocked us all,” Bisson said in a media release. “We sometimes take for granted the work these people do each day because they do it so well and effortlessly. We are thinking of their families and colleagues at this tragic time.”
MP Charlie Angus says these are front-line emergency personnel who travel to remote areas on a regular basis.
“These four people represent the dedicated crews who put their lives on the line to service the north” Angus said in a release. “They work in isolated areas during not-so-perfect conditions to bring patients to and from health facilities. We will be praying for them and their families.”
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne issued a statement saying she was "devastated" to learn of the
deaths.
"The pilots and paramedics of Ornge provide lifesaving services in every region of this province, and my thoughts and prayers are with the friends and families of these brave individuals," she said. “They lost their lives ensuring the people of this province receive the help they need. Their service and sacrifice will be honoured and remembered."
According to its website, Ornge transports about 18,000 patients per year.
Since 2007, Ornge has had a full complement of staff operating in its Moosonee base, which covers the First Nations of Moose Cree, Fort Albany, Kashechewan, Attawapiskat and Peawanuck.
In addition to Moosonee, Ornge operates four other bases in northern Ontario, including Timmins, Sioux Lookout, Kenora, and Thunder Bay.
Ornge is responsible for transport medicine operations including the contracting of flight service providers, medical oversight of all flight paramedics, dispatch and authorizing air and land ambulance transfers between hospitals.
As Ontario’s air ambulance, Ornge serves more than 13 million people over a million square kilometres of land and performs more than twice as many air ambulance transfers than any other province.