Sunday, August 28, 2011

Quebec businessman, granddaughter among the dead in helicopter crash.

Yvon Beaudoin, a prosperous Quebec businessman who loved flying his own helicopter, remarked on how it was a perfect evening to take to the skies – little wind, high visibility, the stars winking above – before the bad weather blew in.

Minutes later Saturday night, with Mr. Beaudoin at the controls, the aircraft went down suddenly just after takeoff at the tiny airport outside St-Ferdinand, about 115 kilometres south of Quebec City.

All four aboard – Mr. Beaudoin, 65, his wife Marie-Paule, his son Eric, 43 and Eric’s 8-year-old daughter, Mélizandre – perished in the crash, around 9:15 p.m.

“I saw them off at the airport,” said Marc Vaillancourt, a business partner of Mr. Beaudoin who drove them the to air facility after they had enjoyed a dinner party at Mr. Vaillancourt’s cottage on Lac William in the St-Ferdinand area.

“He said how beautiful the evening was,” recalled Mr. Vaillancourt, 45, who described Mr. Beaudoin, the founder of a successful plumbing firm in St-Nicolas, near Quebec City on the south shore of the St-Lawrence River, as someone who was passionate about flying but who was also cautious and safety-conscious.

He even declined the offer of a glass of wine several hours before his planned departure time, said Mr. Vaillancourt, who owns a construction firm.

“The weather was ideal. The only thing I can think of that went wrong is mechanical failure,” he said in an interview.

Chris Krepski, a spokesman for the federal Transportation Safety Board, said two investigators are on site and in the early stages of trying to determine the cause of the accident involving a Robinson R44 helicopter.

“We’re gathering witness statements, we’re identifying pieces for further analysis,” he said.

Among the elements being looked at are the weather at the time of the crash, aircraft maintenance records and air-traffic control communications, he said.

The four-passenger helicopter was destroyed but there was no post-crash fire, he added.

Sergeant Claude Denis of the provincial police confirmed the identities of the dead and said an investigation into the crash continues.

Mr. Beaudoin has two other sons, Marco and Carl. All three sons were involved in the family business, founded by Mr. Beaudoin in 1976.

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