Helicopter crash at Homestake Ridge kills four

Vancouver – A helicopter carrying workers to Bravo Ventures‘ (BVG-V) Homestake Ridge project in northwest British Columbia crashed on Wednesday afternoon, killing everyone aboard.

“Rob MacDonald, our vice president of exploration, received a call this morning that a helicopter taking crew into the property had crashed,” says Lawrence Page, a Bravo director. “We now know that the pilot and all three passengers died in the crash.”

The company was told that the helicopter issued a mayday call. It seems the helicopter crashed and then overturned in the fast-running Kitsault River. A second helicopter went to the scene in response to the mayday and saw one of the crashed helicopter’s landing skids sticking out of the water. Two airforce search-and-rescue technicians parachuted into the site two hours later but could do nothing.

No information about the cause of the crash is available yet. Bravo was also not ready to release any information about the occupants of the helicopter.

Homestake Ridge sits 35 km southeast of Stewart and 30 km north of Alice Arm, a former mining town. The project’s camp is at Alice Arm. To get to work employees drive 24 km north, then board a helicopter to fly the final 5 km along the Kitsault River valley.

The helicopter that went down, a Hughes MD 500, is owned by Prism Helicopters, a company based in Pitt Meadows. On Wednesday afternoon the company was not yet ready to release any further information about the helicopter.

Bravo immediately sent MacDonald to the property to assess matters. Page says the company does not at the moment plan to stop operations.

“This wasn’t something that happened at the site so at least until we have more information we don’t plan on shutting down,” Page says. “And we have a very short window to work at our project before we get weathered out.”

Bravo has two drill rigs turning at Homestake and is currently preparing a third rig for work. The company plans to complete 7,500 metres of drilling at the project this season with the aim of expanding the 12-million tonne deposit, which grades 2.36 grams gold, 15 grams silver per tonne, and 0.11% copper.