A birthday helicopter ride meant to create a happy family memory ended in unimaginable tragedy when the aircraft crashed in Quebec, killing all four people on board.
The crash happened Saturday afternoon near Sainte-Brigide-d’Iberville, about 30 miles southeast of Montreal. Quebec provincial police said the helicopter appeared to encounter difficulties before going down in a field shortly after 2:30 p.m. The aircraft caught fire after the crash, and all four people aboard were pronounced dead at the scene.
The victims were pilot Suzanne Jutras, 50, along with passengers Chantal Raymond, her son Loucas Perreault and Gabriel Jasmin.
The flight had been arranged to celebrate Raymond’s birthday.
For Raymond’s daughter, Océane Perreault, the loss was devastating beyond words.
In a single afternoon, she lost her mother, her brother and her partner, Jasmin, with whom she shared a young daughter.
“On September 26, a part of my world flew away to heaven,” Perreault wrote in an emotional social media tribute.
She said the birthday flight had turned into a tragedy she never could have imagined.
“Three people I love more than anything were taken from me far too soon,” she wrote.
Jasmin, 29, worked as a radio host for Énergie 106.1 in Quebec. His employer, Bell Media, offered condolences after his death and said support would be made available to colleagues shaken by the loss.
Perreault remembered Jasmin as a devoted father and someone whose loss has left an enormous hole in the family.
Her father, Martin Perreault, was also mourning the deaths of his wife and son.
He described Raymond, his wife of nearly 40 years, as his best friend and constant companion. In another tribute, he remembered Loucas as his pride and joy and said his son still had countless plans ahead of him.
He also described Jasmin as far more than a son-in-law, remembering him as a deeply loved member of the family.
The fourth victim, Jutras, had built much of her life around aviation.
She had flown helicopters for several years and was known in local communities for offering sightseeing flights. Friends and organizations she had worked with remembered her as passionate about flying and generous with passengers.
Jutras had also spent several years flying at Les Félixeries, a family festival in Saint-Félix-de-Kingsey.
Following the crash, the festival remembered her as its “favorite pilot” and thanked her for taking visitors into the sky.
In the final moments before the crash, Jutras’ partner, Yves Boulais, reportedly watched the helicopter returning toward the property where it normally landed.
He told local media that the aircraft appeared to pause near the landing area before beginning to turn. He said it then tilted toward the passenger side and went down.
Boulais rushed toward the wreckage and tried to get close enough to help, but intense flames prevented him from reaching the helicopter.
Investigators have not yet determined what caused the crash.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada dispatched investigators to the site and said it would collect information and assess the circumstances surrounding the accident. The agency investigates transportation accidents to identify safety issues, not to determine criminal or civil liability.
Authorities have also cautioned that some key details remain unknown, including whether the fire began before impact or after the helicopter hit the ground.
As investigators work to reconstruct the helicopter’s final moments, the families left behind are trying to process a loss that wiped away three members of one family in seconds.
Océane Perreault ended her tribute with a message for others to hold their loved ones close, say “I love you” more often and stop worrying so much about the little things.
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