Man killed in Vancouver Island helicopter crash remembered as skilled pilot, community volunteer
CTV
A Port Alberni, B.C., helicopter pilot known within the logging industry as "the Island Star" is being remembered Thursday after the chopper he was piloting crashed Wednesday morning on northern Vancouver Island.
Friends say Brent Fedirchuk was the pilot who died when the Hughes 369D he was flying went down shortly after 9 a.m.
Randy Haberland works in the logging industry and says he’s known Fedirchuk for more than 20 years and described him as very popular.
“I know lots of people that are suffering right now, people that have worked with him, people he’s done work for. It’s not easy and he’s well-known around Port Alberni, for sure,” Haberland said.
The crash occurred as the chopper, owned by Kestrel Helicopters, was conducting block logging in the Naka Creek area north of Sayward, B.C. Fedirchuk was the only occupant on board.
The Transportation Safety Board has deployed investigators to the remote location along the Johnstone Strait where the crash occurred
Friends say Brent Fedirchuk was the pilot who died when the Hughes 369D he was flying went down shortly after 9 a.m. Wednesday, April 6, 2022. (Facebook/Funtastic)
Reached by phone Thursday, an employee at Kestrel Helicopters said it’s a very tough time at the company.
“We’ll let Transport Canada do all [their] stuff and we’ll make a statement afterwards," they said. "It’s a really tough go."
