Family of Canadian CEO Killed in Helicopter Crash Files $35 Million Lawsuit

The family of Stephane Roy, a Canadian entrepreneur killed in a helicopter accident in 2019, has filed a C$50 million ($35 million) lawsuit against manufacturer Robinson Helicopter Co.

Roy and his 15-year-old son Justin disappeared that summer while returning from a fishing trip on a Robinson R44 helicopter. After two weeks, authorities discovered the helicopter had crashed, killing them both.

Roy’s family filed a lawsuit against Robinson in 2021 in California, where the company is headquartered. A judge ruled earlier this year that the case should proceed in Quebec.

“Robinson Helicopter sought to move the case to Quebec, viewing it as a more favorable jurisdiction,” the family said in a news release Friday, announcing it had filed a new lawsuit in the Canadian province.

Roy founded Quebec tomato producer Savoura in 1995.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada concluded the accident resulted from the failure of a main rotor blade. The report said a preexisting manufacturing defect is “likely” to have contributed to the incident, but the issue may have been “visible and detectable before takeoff.”

An emailed statement from David Smith, president and CEO of Robinson Helicopter, said the company “takes all accidents very seriously, including the tragic 2019 Lac Valtrie accident that took the lives of Mr. Roy and his son.”

Smith called the TSB’s report “highly flawed” and said the TSB “ignored critical evidence and dismissed the likelihood of carburetor icing, which multiple experts and investigators found to be highly likely.” The company believes carburetor icing caused the helicopter’s engine to fail.

“Without accountability, tragedies like this could happen again,” Daniel Roy, Stephane’s brother, said in the family statement. “Investigations by the Transportation Safety Board and independent experts have uncovered significant negligence by Robinson Helicopter.”

“RHC welcomes a full reevaluation of the evidence, examining the importance of carburetor icing prevention,” Smith said.

Photograph: The shadow of a Robinson R-44 helicopter is viewed as it lifts off from Charles M. Schulz Santa Rosa Airport on November 5, 2017, in Santa Rosa, California. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)

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