Getting to the bottom of what caused the crash of a Canadian air force maritime helicopter could take a “year or more,” Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said Thursday as the government made plans to recover the wreckage from the bottom of the Ionian Sea.
The investigation into the deadly crash of a CH-148 Cyclone helicopter could take a year or more to complete, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said Thursday.
The location of the crash is complicating the investigation’s timeline. The Department of National Defence is still trying to work out how to raise the wreckage and recover the bodies of the five missing crew members from the depths of the Ionian Sea, where the aircraft went down last week following a routine surveillance training flight with a NATO naval task force.
Watch: Sajjan and Vance deliver update on chopper crash probe
Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan, and General Jonathan Vance the Chief of the Defense Staff, spoke to reporters on Parliament Hill on Thursday. 6:54
The crash killed six military members — four aircrew and two sailors. Only the remains of Sub-Lt. Abbigail Cowbrough have been recovered.
The missing and presumed dead include Capt. Brenden Ian MacDonald, Capt. Kevin Hagen, Capt. Maxime Miron-Morin, Sub-Lt. Matthew Pyke and Master Cpl. Matthew Cousins.
