Flight Safety Investigation Report: Igloolik SAR incident of October 27, 2011

News Article / March 17, 2014

From the Royal Canadian Air Force

The Flight Safety Investigation Report (FSIR) regarding the death of search and rescue technician Sergeant Janick Gilbert on October 27, 2011, is now available on the Air Force Directorate of Flight Safety website.

On October 26, 2011, the day before the occurrence, two men in a small open aluminum boat became stranded in an ice field approximately eight nautical miles southeast of Igloolik, Nunavut. A search and rescue (SAR) CC-130 Hercules aircraft from Trenton, Ontario, was dispatched to the area and, upon locating the men in a raft, a decision was made to parachute in three SAR technicians to provide assistance before it became dark.

The first SAR technician landed in the water, swam to the raft and assisted the men. The second SAR technician landed in the water, was unable to swim to the raft and commenced his own survival procedures. Approximately four hours later, a CH-149 Cormorant helicopter hoisted the two SAR technicians and the two rescued men aboard, all unharmed. One hour later, the Cormorant crew located the unresponsive body of the SAR technician team leader, Sergeant Janick Gilbert. He was flown to the Igloolik airport and transported to the local health centre where, sadly, attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.

The investigation focused on SAR technician personal life support equipment and the regulations governing rescue activities and has produced several recommendations for preventative measures, several of which have already been implemented with the aim of preventing similar occurrences in the future.