Update:
Northern Escape Heli-Skiing and Skyline Helicopters issued a release to express their deepest condolences to the family and friends of two newly identified persons that have died as a result of a January 22 helicopter crash near Terrace, BC.
The identity of Pilot Mark McGowan, of Kelowna, and guide Lewis Ainsworth, of Vancouver, have now come to light as part of the release.
“Our dedicated staff at Northern Escape and the pilots at Skyline Helicopters, who tirelessly work with us each season, are integral members of the close-knit Northern Escape and British Columbian heli-ski community,” said John Forrest, President and General Manager of Northern Escape Heli-Skiing. “Expressing the profound grief we are experiencing is impossible. We hope you will respect the privacy of those impacted at this extremely difficult time.”
“We are devastated by the loss,” says Gareth Shanks, General Manager of Skyline Helicopters. “Mark was a phenomenal pilot and a much-loved part of the Skyline Helicopters team. His skills, friendship and good cheer will be greatly missed by our community.”
“Lewis was in his second year as a guide with us here at Northern Escape and was clearly a rising star in the industry. He was friendly, helpful, passionate and amazingly talented,” added Forrest. “Mark was an outstanding pilot and a mentor to many. I worked with him for over a decade and always enjoyed flying with him. He was a consummate professional. Our industry suffered a massive loss with the passing of these two men. Everyone who worked with them is grieving.”
A celebration-of-life ceremony is being held for Lewis Ainsworth in Vancouver, B.C. today.
The exact cause of the incident continues to be unknown; Skyline Helicopters and Northern Escape Heli-Skiing are working with the Transportation Safety Board, RCMP and other authorities to support the investigation into the cause of the incident. All updates regarding the investigation and its findings will come from these official sources.
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On Monday, January 22, 2024, Terrace RCMP were notified of a helicopter crash approximately 50 km’s north west of Terrace, BC. Three helicopters were running a heliskiing operation in the mountainous back country with numerous people on board each helicopter. Communication was lost with one of the helicopters and a crash site was located in a snow field. There were seven people on board this helicopter and sadly three people did not survive.
The other two helicopters shuttled the remaining four passengers from the site to where they were met by BC Emergency Health Services, Terrace Fire Rescue and taken to hospital.
“Poor weather and visibility conditions severely impacted efforts to safely return to the crash site over several days,” said Staff Sergeant Kris Clark of the BC RCMP. “Thanks to the hard work and determination of the Terrace Search and Rescue, the bodies of those who tragically died have now been recovered.”
Sadly, a fourth person has now died as a result of injuries sustained in the crash. The three other passengers remain in stable condition.
The Terrace RCMP continues to support the ongoing investigations of the BC Coroners Service, Transportation Safety Board (TSB) and WorkSafe BC.