Sikorsky S-92A accident near St. John'S, Newfoundland, Ca, March 12, 2009
On March 12, 2009 at about 12:26 pm local time, a Sikorsky S-92A (helicopter), registered GGZCH, was destroyed in an accident near St. John'S, Newfoundland (St. John'S International airport). It was flown under non-U.S. commercial rules. 17 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Not required for RA.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 12, 2009 · about 12:26 pm local time
- Place
- St. John'S, Newfoundland, Ca · St. John'S International
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 17 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Sikorsky S-92A · all S-92As on the register
- Registration
- GGZCH · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight · non-U.S. commercial rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Not required for RA.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Operator: Cougar Helicopter Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: CYYT St. John'S at 11:47 am
- Destination: Hibernia
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 15 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN09RA205.