The family of Stéphane Roy, former Savoura CEO, and his son, Justin, has filed a $50 million lawsuit against Robinson Helicopter Company Inc., the U.S. manufacturer of the R44 helicopter involved in the July 2019 crash that killed them.
“My family and I are determined to uncover the complete truth behind this tragic event that took my brother and nephew,” said Daniel Roy, Stéphane Roy’s brother and executor of the estate.
“Investigations by the Transportation Safety Board and independent experts have uncovered significant negligence by Robinson Helicopter. Without accountability, tragedies like this could happen again.”
On July 10, 2019, Stéphane Roy and his son were returning from a fishing trip on a privately registered Robinson R44 helicopter when they disappeared, launching an extensive two-week search involving the Canadian Armed Forces, the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), the Canadian Coast Guard and multiple volunteer air search and rescue organizations from Quebec and Ontario.
“The aircraft was found on July 25, 14 days after it was reported missing, in a wooded area near Lac Valtrie, Que.,” a report by the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) states. “The occupants were found dead. There was no fire. The aircraft was destroyed.”
An ensuing investigation by the TSB concluded that the crash was caused by a main rotor blade failure.
In its report, the TSB points out that the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) had already made recommendations in 2008 regarding the main rotor blades after numerous cases of “debonding at the bond joint were discovered during maintenance inspections and visits between July 2006 and January 2007, and four cases of debonding occurred in flight in 2006 and 2007.”
As such, the TSB states, “It is likely that the adhesive failures that appeared gradually over time and a pre-existing manufacturing defect contributed to significantly reducing the stiffness of one of the blades, which caused strong vibrations during the occurrence flight.”
- READ MORE: TSB finds defect in beacon on helicopter that crashed in Quebec, killing Savoura CEO and son
Helicopter company claims there were ‘discrepancies’ in TSB report
On Saturday, the head of Robinson Helicopter Company released a statement to CTV News in response to the Quebec lawsuit.
Robinson Helicopter (RHC) takes all accidents very seriously, including the tragic 2019 Lac Valtrie accident that took the lives of Mr. Roy and his son. RHC is committed to making sure that future accidents with similar circumstances are prevented in the future. This is why it is essential that RHC sets the record straight about all of the facts of this case. Despite RHC participating directly in the accident investigation and providing irrefutable technical analysis contradicting the TSB’s assertions, the TSB ignored critical evidence and dismissed the likelihood of carburetor icing, which multiple experts and investigators found to be highly likely. RHC believes the engine failed on the accident aircraft due to carburetor icing, followed by a failed emergency landing by the pilot. This is consistent with the aircraft and engine condition after the accident. With only select facts discussed, we believe the TSB report is highly flawed. RHC welcomes a full re-evaluation of the evidence, examining the importance of carburetor icing prevention.
— David Smith, president and CEO of Robinson Helicopter Company
Smith adds that the company looks forward to “addressing these discrepancies in court.”
The Roy family has called the incident one of “gross negligence,” and laments there have been “numerous tragedies” involving similar aircraft.
“Many families were shattered on that tragic day in July 2019, and we will do everything in our power to ensure these tragedies caused by unacceptable negligence come to an end,” said Roy.
The lawsuit was initially filed in California, U.S., on July 8, 2021, but the company requested to move the case to Quebec.
The request was approved in January 2025 by the California Courts of Appeal.
