Identities of Petawawa RCAF members killed in helicopter crash released

CITYnews halifax \ By News Staff

The two Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) members who died after the CH-147F Chinook helicopter they were travelling in crashed in the Ottawa River are being publicly identified.

Captain David Domagala, 32, of Woodstock, Ontario, and Captain Marc Larouche, 53, of Amos, Quebec were travelling in the helicopter with two other crew members undergoing a training mission shortly after midnight on June 20, when the helicopter crashed into the Ottawa River near Garrison Petawawa.

Two of the crew members were located shortly thereafter and taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries, while the search for the other two took several hours.

Captain David Domagala had previously served in the Canadian Army Reserve before applying to become a pilot.

After graduating from the Royal Military College, he completed pilot training and was posted to 450 Tactical Helicopter Squadron in 2019.

He deployed as a liaison officer on Operation CALUMET in Egypt, receiving a Commander Commendation from Canadian Joint Operations Command. He commenced his training on the CH-147F Chinook upon redeployment.

Captain Marc Larouche earned his private pilot’s license before joining the Royal Canadian Air Force. After attaining his pilot’s wings in 1993, he served with several squadrons, flying the CH-135 Twin Huey, CH-146 Griffon and CH-147F Chinook helicopters.

He deployed internationally on Operation DELIVERANCE in Somalia and domestically on Operation PODIUM in British Columbia.

The Royal Canadian Air Force asks the public to respect the privacy of the victims’ families.

The investigation into the crash is ongoing.