An investigation has concluded pilots of a helicopter hit by lightning over South Pender Island three years ago could not have known conditions were building toward the relatively rare phenomenon of helicopter-induced strikes.
The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) also released a map May 13, drawn using data from flight recorders aboard the Sikorsky S-76C, showing it carved a tight, steep circle over Bedwell Harbour as it plunged from 4,029 feet to 885 in just 36 seconds the morning of Oct. 24, 2023.
Working together, the two-person flight crew managed to successfully recover from the dive, ultimately bringing their 12 passengers from Vancouver to Victoria uninjured; that uncontrolled descent, according to the TSB’s May 13 report, was likely the result of helicopter-induced lightning, where the aircraft itself triggers strikes under certain conditions — despite little to no “natural” lightning activity nearby.
In the new report, investigators said while all the ingredients needed for positive cloud-to-ground lightning strikes were present, current weather assessment methods don’t make those conditions “readily identifiable.”
“As a result, although these conditions were present at the time of the occurrence, information regarding them was not available to the flight crew,” according to the TSB, “and they were unaware of the possibility of lightning.”
Positive cloud-to-ground lightning makes up about one in 10 strikes, according to the TSB, and this one hit near the helicopter’s negatively-charged tail rotor blades — and with a peak current “beyond the certified design” of the rotor blade assembly, one of the two blades detached.
TSB investigators said they conducted a search on South Pender Island for the missing tail rotor blade assembly, but were unable to find it or any associated aircraft fragments.
“The investigation found that, after control of the helicopter was reestablished, the flight crew had time to identify the options available and assess the risks before deciding to continue [to Victoria],” according to the TSB report. “The captain also identified a contingency plan to land immediately if the circumstances changed. With visual flight conditions observed along the remaining flight path, the decision-making process reasonably considered the variables present and integrated all the information available.”
Passengers in 2023 had praised the flight crew for landing safely after reportedly holding hands and texting loved ones during the uncontrolled descent; last summer, passenger William Wuehr sued operator Helijet for unspecified damages, alleging he “sustained psychological injuries, including post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression,” according to a court filing. At press time, public records for that case have not been updated since August 2025.