An Abbotsford resident was among three men killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday near Stewart, B.C.
Randy Ken Lambert, 35, was the pilot of the Bell 407 helicopter that crashed at about 4 p.m. near Meziadin Lake – in the Nelson Glacier area – about 60 kilometres northeast of Stewart.
He flew for Vancouver Island Helicopters (VIH) Ltd., based in North Saanich, B.C.
Also killed were passengers Colin Dionne, 40, of Powell River and Mathieu Lefebvre-Masse, 32, originally from Quebec but recently living in Lund, B.C. The two were doing a mining survey for Coast Mountain Geological, which had contracted VIH to fly the pair.
Crews reached the crash site on Sunday, and confirmed the fatalities. They returned Monday, but weather conditions hampered their recovery efforts.
The bodies were then recovered on Tuesday by search and rescue crews.
The cause of the crash is being investigated by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada and the BC Coroners Services.
VIH declined to speak to media, instead issuing a written statement in which it said the families of the deceased have requested that “their grief and privacy be respected at this time.”
“The VIH family would like to take this opportunity to extend our heartfelt sympathies to those directly impacted by this tragedy,” the release stated.
