CAF Personnel involved in CH-148 Cyclone accident homecomings to take place this week

Above photo: A dignified embarkation ceremony in honour of Canadian Armed Forces personnel lost to a helicopter accident is held in Taranto, Italy, on May 6, 2020. Photo courtesy of the Forze armate italiane (Italian Armed Forces)

Captain Brenden MacDonald, Captain Maxime Miron-Morin, Sub-Lieutenant Matthew Pyke, and Master Corporal Matthew Cousins will arrive home in Halifax and Truro, Nova Scotia tomorrow, June 25, 2020. 

The four men died in the CH-148 Cyclone helicopter crash in the Ionian Sea, off the coast of Greece on April 29, 2020. 

The crash also took the lives of Sub-Lieutenant Abbigail Cowbrough and Captain Kevin Hagen. Sub-Lieutenant Abbigail Cowbrough’s homecoming took place on May 11, 2020, with the homecoming for Captain Kevin Hagen being held in Victoria, British Columbia this Saturday, June 27, 2020. 

Sub-Lieutenant Matthew Pyke’s family will be joined by military and civilian dignitaries in a police-escorted motorcade from the Halifax International Airport to the Mattatall-Varner Funeral Home in Truro.

“We appreciate the outstanding support of our communities for the families of our fallen and the Canadian Armed Forces. For those who wish to recognize Captain MacDonald’s, Captain Miron-Morin’s, Sub-Lieutenant Pyke’s, and Master Corporal Cousins’ return home, we ask that you join us in adhering to COVID-19 restrictions and practice physical distancing while paying respects, in addition to observing traffic rules.

“While the CAF understands and recognizes Canadians’ grief and the need to mourn at this difficult time, we ask it is done so in a way that protects the health and safety of everyone,” noted the press release.

Captain Brenden MacDonald’s family, Captain Maxime Miron-Morin’s family, and Master Corporal Matthew Cousins’ family will be joined by military and civilian dignitaries in a police-escorted motorcade from the Halifax Stanfield International Airport to the Atlantic Funeral Home in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

Sub-Lieutenant Matthew Pyke family will be joined by military and civilian dignitaries in a police-escorted motorcade from the Halifax International Airport to the Mattatall-Varner Funeral Home in Truro.

The press release stated the motorcade procession would depart the airport at 5:45 p.m. (ADT). (see routes below).

For traffic safety, the press release noted that the motorcycle part of the procession would be by invitation only. Riders who want to pay their respects are kindly asked to line the route and not join the procession as it passes.

“As the families are grieving as a result of their tragic losses, we request the public and the media respect their privacy.”

The planned motorcade route for SLt Pyke is as follows:

• • • • Start at the Park’ n’ Fly parking lot on Barnes Dr, exit right
      • Turn right on Baldwin Dr to Pratt and Whitney Dr
      • Turn right on Pratt and Whitney Dr to Bell Blvd
      • Turn left on Bell Blvd and take the exit for NS-102 North (Truro)
      • Take Exit 13 to McClures Mills Road / Truro Heights Connector Road
      • Turn left onto Willow St / Nova Scotia Trunk 2 North
      • Turn right onto Arthur St
      • Turn left onto Young St
      • Turn right into the Mattatall-Varner Funeral Home, 55 Young St, Truro 

The planned motorcade route for Capt MacDonald, Capt Miron-Morin, and MCpl Cousins:

• • • • Start at the Park’ n’ Fly parking lot on Barnes Dr, exit right
      • Turn right on Baldwin Dr to Pratt to Whitney Dr
      • Turn left on Pratt and Whitney Dr to Aerotech Dr
      • Turn right on Aerotech Dr to NS-102
      • Take NS-102 South (Halifax) exit
      • Follow the NS-102 South, keep left at the fork to continue on NS-118
      • Take Exit 11 to merge onto NS-111 South to Pleasant St
      • Turn left on Pleasant St to Corsair Dr
      • Turn left on Corsair Dr to Banshee Ave
      • Turn right on Banshee Ave to Swordfish Dr
      • Turn right on Swordfish Dr to Boundary Rd
      • Turn left on Boundary Rd to Magnificent Ave
      • Turn right on Magnificent Ave
      • Turn right on Bonaventure St to Main Rd\
      • Turn left on Main Rd., through Eastern Passage to Caldwell Rd
      • Turn left on Caldwell Rd to Cole Harbour Rd (Portland St turns into Cole Harbour Rd)
      • Turn right onto Cole Harbour Rd to Forest Hills Parkway
      • Turn left on Forest Hills Parkway to Main St
      • Turn right on Main St, drive 100 metres past the Montague Rd intersection
      • Turn left into the Atlantic Funeral Home, 771 Main St, Dartmouth.