Incident at CYR538 (Rideau Hall)

2011-06-24: The Heli-Inter Inc. Robinson R-44 Beta II helicopter (C-GFHC) was on a local VFR flight from Ottawa (Gatineau) Airport (CYND). NAV CANADA staff at Ottawa Tower reported that, on completion of a city tour, the helicopter was observed at a reported altitude of 1,300 feet in CYR538 (Rideau Hall). The pilot was advised of the correct altitude with regard to CYR538 prior to returning to Ottawa (Gatineau) Airport (CYND). Ops. impact -- none.

2011-09-14: UPDATE Follow-up information received from Commercial & Business Aviation (Québec Région) [2011/09/14]: A Civil Aviation Safety Inspector (CASI) contacted the operator about this occurrence. The CASI was advised that according to the pilot, the route flown was the normal one for the air tours of the city of Ottawa. That afternoon, the cloud base was a bit low and the pilot was given permission to conduct the tour at an altitude of 1,200 feet. For the pilot, the aircraft passed over the MacDonald-Cartier Bridge near Parliament Hill. In conclusion, the pilot was very aware of the controlled/restricted airspace which the aircraft passed close to. The operator has subsequently changed the air tour flight path (of downtown Ottawa) by several miles to avoid future problems of this nature. __________ Selon le pilote, c?est le circuit habituel pour les tours de ville d?Ottawa. Cet après-midi là, le plafond était un peu bas et la tour lui a autorisé le vol à 1200 pieds. Pour lui, il a passé au-dessus du Pont Mac Donald Cartier à l?écart du parlement. En conclusion, il semble qu?il est passé trop proche de la zone contrôlée en connaissant très bien sa présence. La compagnie va changer de quelques miles la trajectoire du tour de ville pour éviter toute confusion à ce sujet.