Passengers called loved ones to say goodbye during B.C. helicopter flight struck by lightning

Some passengers cried, some held hands and others called their spouses to say goodbye as their commuter helicopter on a routine flight between Vancouver and Victoria rolled onto its side and fell toward the ocean, damaged by a lightning strike Tuesday.

Some passengers cried, some held hands and others called their spouses to say goodbye as their commuter helicopter on a routine flight between Vancouver and Victoria rolled onto its side and fell toward the ocean, damaged by a lightning strike Tuesday.

Lecia Stewart gripped the hands of the man and the woman seated next to her – three strangers now united by the harrowing experience, she says.

The HeliJet flight departed Vancouver at 9:11 a.m. with two pilots and 12 passengers on board. The aircraft was crossing the Strait of Georgia when a lightning strike sheared off two of the helicopter's tail rotor blades and shorted out the aircraft's control and navigation systems.

"Right after we got off the coast we went straight into a cloud bank – a very claustrophobic experience," said Stewart, who has taken the flight several times over the years.

"Suddenly, off to the left of the helicopter, there's a big flash and a bang," she said. "I see the pilots both look at each other, then the helicopter starts to swoon back and forth, almost like you're in a washing machine."

The Sikorsky S-76 helicopter rolled sideways and began to fall from approximately 1,280 metres (4,200 feet) above sea level.

"So I'm pretty sure we're done at this point," said Stewart, who was seated in the first row, directly behind the cockpit. "But as soon as we got out of the cloudbank, the pilot told us he was able to use hydraulics to get control of the helicopter even though all of the electronics went out."