Revelstoke Mounties locate missing helicopter, one dead

The Revelstoke RCMP says one person has died in a helicopter crash, concluding the multi-day search for the missing aircraft.

The deceased person was the sole occupant of the helicopter, police say.

Police say they were advised just before 7 p.m. on Friday that a helicopter traveling from Calgary to Sicamous had “potentially crashed.”

Pedram Mohyeddin, a spokesperson for Maritime Forces Pacific, says the province’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre was alerted to the sound of an emergency locator transmitter about 10 nautical miles, or 18 kilometres, east of Revelstoke.

Mohyeddin says crews worked to locate the aircraft by using the ping from the missing helicopter as a lead.

He says Search and Rescue, the RCMP, and the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association all worked together during an on-the-ground search.

Mohyeddin says a search-and-rescue helicopter and a military aircraft were also tasked with finding the missing helicopter.

While low visibility prevented the rescue aircraft from operating Saturday, Mohyeddin says blue skies on Sunday allowed crews to take flight in a AgustaWestland CH-149 Cormorant helicopter to aid in the search.

Mounties say they’re now working alongside the Transportation Safety Board and BC Coroners Service to determine why the helicopter went down.

With files from Cole Schisler and The Canadian Press.