The woman killed in a helicopter crash north of the Campbell River airport on Oct. 1 is remembered as a caring, loving person who enjoyed the outdoors.
“She was a great soul and she will be very deeply missed,” said Roger Jamieson a longtime friend. “Just a good person that didn’t deserve this; to have her life cut short like this.”
Karen Coulter, 46, leaves behind a young son and Jamieson is trying to establish a trust fund to give him a helping hand later in life.
Jamieson has set up a gofundme page online to raise money for Coulter’s son Mason Ratcliff. “Trust Fund for Mason” was set up to help meet the boy’s education and future needs.
Coulter was a helicopter pilot, one of two pilots in the helicopter when it went down around 5 p.m. Oct. 1. A male occupant of the helicopter survived the crash.
“Money can never replace what Mason has lost but it may provide him with opportunities in the future to aid him on his life’s journey,” the gofundme page says.
Roger Jamieson, himself a helicopter pilot who has known Coulter for 13 years, set up the account. He described her as “always happy” and “upbeat.”
“She was an amazing person. So generous, so caring,” Jamieson said. “She was a very devoted mother to Mason.”
Coulter started working in Campbell River in the summer. Prior to that she had been working in Vancouver and Grande Prairie and further back she worked out of Nanaimo.
Coulter was an outdoorsperson who loved hiking, loved the beach.
“She loved the West Coast,” Jamieson said.
Like any single mother, looking after her young son was like a full time job. But she was a highly-trained helicopter pilot, certified for night flying, Jamieson said.
“This is tragic, especially somebody like Karen…she was just trying to do the best she could for her son and she was really looking forward to this job and you know it’s just sad to see another good soul lost to this industry and, unfortunately, it’s just another reminder that there are inherent dangers to being a helicopter pilot,” Jamieson said.
The Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash and will issue a report after the investigation concludes. It can take a period a period of months before a report comes out.
Coulter and a second pilot were in a Robinson R44 helicopter. The second pilot survived the crash and was airlifted to hospital in Victoria.
The search for the downed helicopter involved a multi-agency effort including RCMP, an RCMP helicopter, Campbell River Search and Rescue, Campbell River Fire and Rescue, Canadian Forces 442 Squadron and the Rescue Coordination Centre.
The helicopter was located in dense forest very close to airport.
