Canadian Inmates Escape On Hijacked Helicopter | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-07.07.25

Airborne-NextGen-07.08.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.09.25

Airborne-FlightTraining-07.10.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.11.25

Wed, Mar 20, 2013

Canadian Inmates Escape On Hijacked Helicopter

Pilot Was Held Hostage, Both Fugitives Recaptured

A helicopter pilot in Canada who thought he was making a routine sightseeing flight Monday wound up as an unwitting accomplice in a prison break, as he was forced at gunpoint to fly to a prison in Saint Jerome north of Montreal, Canada, and help two inmates escape.

The pilot, Sebastian Foray, was shaken but uninjured after the ordeal. He told the owner of the helicopter company Yves Le Roux that the had misgivings about the two men who came for the helicopter tour Monday morning after booking it Sunday, but began the flight anyway. But he soon found himself on the wrong end of a gun heading for the prison.

The New York Times reports that the two inmates attempted to climb up a cable or rope into the aircraft, but one wound up tangled and dangling from it, and one was hanging onto the landing skid as they cleared the prison fence. The inmate tangled in the rope, Benjamin Hudon-Barbeau, was slightly injured when the aircraft landed to allow him and the other escapee, Danny Provençal, to get inside.

After a flight of about 18 miles, Foray was told to land the aircraft again in a parking lot. The escapees and their accomplices got into an SUV. The pilot was blindfolded and abandoned with his aircraft.

But the helo's transponder allowed police to track the aircraft. They followed the helicopter to the parking lot, and then trailed the SUV until it reached a remote cabin where the two escapees and their accomplices were captured after an exchange of gunfire. The pilot eventually removed his blindfold and flew the helicopter back to Mont Tramblant. He was treated at a local hospital for shock.

FMI: www.spvm.qc.ca

Advertisement

More News

NTSB Final Report: Aviat A1

Airplane Bounced About 3 Ft Then Touched Back Down And Then, With No Brakes Applied, The Airplane Began Veering To The Left Analysis: The pilot entered the airport traffic pattern >[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (07.08.25)

Aero Linx: British Microlight Aircraft Association (BMAA) The primary focus within all aviation activity is SAFETY. In all aspects of our sport SAFETY must come first, whether it b>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: Fly Corvair’s Reliable Engine Alternative

From SnF25 (YouTube Edition): William Wynne Builds Practical Aircraft Engines on the Corvair Platform Seeking an affordable alternative to the traditional aircraft engine options, >[...]

ANN FAQ: Contributing To Aero-TV

How To Get A Story On Aero-TV News/Feature Programming How do I submit a story idea or lead to Aero-TV? If you would like to submit a story idea or lead, please contact Jim Campbel>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: CiES Fuel-Quantity and e-Throttle Systems Praised

From 2023 (YouTube Edition): Bridge of CiES CiES Inc. is a Bend, Oregon-based designer and manufacturer of modular embedded aircraft systems and sensors. The company’s fuel-l>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC