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| Date: | Wednesday 3 September 2025 |
| Time: | c. 11:50 LT |
| Type: |  Aérospatiale AS 350B2 Ecureuil |
| Owner/operator: | Sierra Helicopters |
| Registration: | C-FSHC |
| MSN: | 2917 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1996 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | SW of Pemberton, BC -
 Canada
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Fire fighting |
| Departure airport: | Squamish Airport, BC (YSE/CYSE) |
| Investigating agency: | TSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
A helicopter carrying fire fighters made forced landing in a forested area south of Pemberton, Britisch Columbia.
The four occupants survived without serious injuries.
The helicopter had departed Squamish Municipal Airfield (YSE), BC, on a British Columbia Wildfire Services (BCWS) tasking, to a fire on Mount Currie under visual flight rules with 1 pilot and 3 passengers on board. The 3 passengers on board were an initial action firefighting crew deploying to fight the fire on Mt Currie.
The pilot gave a safety briefing, and the crew lead a hover exit walk through prior to takeoff. The pilot and the crew lead were in the front seats, and the other two members were in the rear left and rear center seat. The equipment was strapped in the rear right seat. The drop off location was a steep talus field on the northern face of Mt Currie. The pilot and crew lead agreed on a large flat rock for the drop off position. The pilot did an overhead recce and completed an approach to the rock. He repositioned once for a more stable position and had the toe of both skids resting on the rock. The crew member in the left rear seat removed his headset, put on a hardhat, and exited the aircraft. The second crew member in the back removed his seatbelt and headset, put on his hardhat, and began passing equipment to the outside member in packages that were less than 20lbs. All crew members heard a sharp noise, and the aircraft pitched nose high and to the left. The outside person leapt down and away from the aircraft. The helicopter turned 180° and rolled down the slope. During the roll down the slope, the crew member in the back seat was ejected from the helicopter and the pilot's helmet came off. The helicopter came to rest in an upright, nose down attitude. The pilot and passenger were both able to exit the aircraft prior to the airframe being engulfed in flame. The crew member who had been outside the aircraft called a Mayday on his handheld radio and started downhill toward the wreckage. The four members grouped together and started to climb back up the slope, away from the burning helicopter.
The crew lead used his cell phone to call in to dispatch and advise the status of the helicopter and crew. A BCWS team was dispatched for the rescue and recovered the crew to the Pemberton Aerodrome (CYPS), BC. All four occupants had minor injuries. The helicopter was destroyed.
Sources:
https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2025/09/03/helicopter-carrying-firefighters-crashed-pemberton/
https://globalnews.ca/news/11391227/pemberton-helicopter-crash/
https://cheknews.ca/helicopter-with-b-c-wildfire-crew-makes-forced-landing-near-pemberton-1276136/
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/wildfire-crew-helicopter-forced-landing-pemberton-1.7624520
TSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 04-Sep-2025 05:17 | gerard57 | Added |
| 04-Sep-2025 05:22 | gerard57 | Updated [Time, ] |
| 04-Sep-2025 06:07 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Total occupants, Location, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 04-Sep-2025 06:07 | vasilf | Updated [Time, Operator, Total occupants, Location, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 04-Sep-2025 06:13 | vasilf | Updated [Total occupants, Source, ] |
| 04-Sep-2025 06:15 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 04-Sep-2025 06:16 | RobertMB | Updated [Operator, ] |
| 09-Oct-2025 14:12 | ASN | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Damage, Narrative, ] |
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