Transport Canada following up with owner of helicopter recorded flying low in east Ottawa
Transport Canada says there will be a follow-up with the owner of a helicopter that was recorded flying low in Ottawa’s east end earlier this week.
A post on Reddit showed a video of a black helicopter appearing to fly under power lines on a rural road. The poster said it happened on Wall Road between Tenth Line and Trim on Sunday afternoon.
In a statement to CTV News on Monday, Transport Canada said the incident had not yet been formally reported to them, but added they would be speaking to the owner of the aircraft.
“There will be a follow-up with the owner of that aircraft,” a spokesperson said.
“The department encourages anyone who witnesses unsafe or illegal flying activity should contact Transport Canada. The report should contain as much information as possible (i.e. clear photos or videos, date, time, drone type, other identifying marks),” Transport Canada said, linking to their incident reporting page.
The original poster, who asked not to be identified by his real name, said he submitted a report to Transport Canada on Tuesday.
“My wife and I were very surprised at seeing it flying so low. So we continued along the road to get a closer look,” he said of the incident in a Reddit chat. “That’s when we found the aircraft had landed in the middle of the road. We got within 100 feet or so and actually had to completely stop and wait a minute or so for them to depart. When they finally did, we were shocked to see them fly underneath the power lines, just to land again on an adjacent access road.”
He said he also submitted a report to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB). The TSB said it was aware of the incident but confirmed it was not investigating, saying it was a regulatory matter that would be better handled by Transport Canada.
Transport Canada did not confirm who owned the aircraft. Posts by other Reddit users showed a helicopter owned by a numbered Quebec company, based in Montreal, had flown in the area where the video was recorded.
Helicopter pilots are subject to Canadian Aviation regulations that include a minimum altitude of 1,000 feet above a built-up area and a minimum distance of 500 feet from any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure.
“Transport Canada reviews all complaints and reports of possible violations involving a helicopter or aircraft to determine if an investigation is warranted and whether an offense has occurred under the Regulations,” the federal agency said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
11 injured after city bus crashes into daycare in Montreal suburb Laval, driver arrested
Nine people were seriously injured after a Laval city bus crashed into a daycare Wednesday morning, according to first responders. The driver of the bus has been arrested, according to Quebec Public Security Minister Francois Bonnardel.

How much Canadians have fallen behind amid high inflation and who's hurting the most
Inflation has eroded purchasing power for many Canadians, but the experience with rapidly rising prices has been far from uniform.
Awkward moment or conscious message? Political experts weigh in on Danielle Smith-Justin Trudeau handshake
An 'awkward' attempt at a handshake between Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and the prime minister Tuesday is another example of leaders from the western province hesitating before shaking Justin Trudeau's hand, say political experts.
A Conservative government would uphold federal-provincial health-care funding deals: Poilievre
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says that if he becomes prime minister he would uphold the 10-year deals Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is looking to ink with provinces and territories that would inject $46.2 billion in new funding into Canada's strained health-care systems.
Hope fading as deaths in Turkiye, Syria quake pass 11,000
With the hope of finding survivors fading, stretched rescue teams in Turkiye and Syria searched Wednesday for signs of life in the rubble of thousands of buildings toppled by a catastrophic earthquake. The confirmed death toll from the world's deadliest quake in more than a decade passed 11,000.
'Crypto king' associate operated parallel Ponzi scheme while living lavish lifestyle, court documents allege
An associate of Ontario’s self-described “crypto king” was operating his own fraud scam parallel to the multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme, court documents allege.
opinion | Tom Mulcair: This is why the federal health-care proposal is so disappointing
Justin Trudeau has thrown in the towel in the fight to maintain the federal role as gatekeeper of a public, universal, accessible and fair health-care system in Canada, writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in an exclusive column for CTVNews.ca. 'That could have tragic consequences for folks on the lower rungs of the social and economic ladder.'
opinion | Before you do your taxes, take note of these tax credits and deductions you may not have known about
Many Canadians are experiencing strains caused by the increased cost of living and inflation. In his exclusive column for CTVNews.ca, contributor Christopher Liew shares some of the top credits and deductions that you may be able to claim on your income tax return to help you save money.
Beetles barking up the wrong tree: Canada's boreal forests dying
Fir trees are under attack in the British Columbia interior, where severe drought and heat are putting forests at risk due to bark beetles.