Pilot dead after helicopter fighting wildfire crashes in northwestern Alberta

Investigators with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada are deploying to northwestern Alberta after a pilot died in a helicopter crash while fighting a wildfire.

A 41-year-old man from Whitecourt, Alta., died after his helicopter collided with the ground as he worked to deliver water to a fire, RCMP said.

He is the third person to die battling wildfires in Canada this year — fatalities that have brought attention to the dangers crews have faced during the worst season in the country's history. 

In a deployment notice Thursday morning, the TSB said an investigative team is en route to the scene of the crash near Haig Lake, east of the town of Manning in the Peace River region.

The pilot was the lone person on board when the Bell 205A helicopter crashed into swampy terrain Wednesday, TSB spokesperson Chris Krepski said.

The first signal from the helicopter's emergency locator transmitter was received at 6:15 p.m. from the crash site, 43 nautical miles east-northeast of Peace River, Krepski said.

Krepski said investigators are expected to arrive on scene later Thursday. They will try to determine what caused the helicopter to collide with the terrain.

"It collided with the ground during firefighting operations," he said. "It was during some phase of bucketing operations.

"I don't know what phase it would have been, whether it would have been while it was picking up water or it was releasing water. That is typically what we would try to find out."

Helicopters involved in bucketing operations use a specialized bucket suspended on a cable to deliver water to a fire.

The crash site is unreachable by road. RCMP were flown to the scene by helicopter, said Cpl. Troy Savinkoff.

Officers arrived around 8 p.m., about an hour after the first call to police came in, Savinkoff said Thursday.

"RCMP were transported to the area where crews were doing CPR on the lone occupant of the helicopter," he said. 

"I believe it was other forestry workers who found him with the helicopter, and then landed and attempted to provide first aid."