Body of B.C. pilot who died in military helicopter crash returned to Victoria
Capt. Kevin Hagen among 5 other crew members who died in crash off the coast of Greece
The body of a Vancouver Island pilot who died in a helicopter crash off the coast of Greece has been returned to Victoria.
Capt. Kevin Hagen was among five crew members missing after a CH-148 Cyclone helicopter crashed in the Ionian Sea while taking part in NATO exercises in late April.
Hagen's family was joined by military and civilian dignitaries in a police-escorted motorcade from the Victoria International Airport to the McCall Gardens Funeral Home in Victoria Saturday afternoon.
CFB Esquimalt encouraged anyone who was planning to attend Hagen's funeral to adhere to physical distancing protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Hagen, a pilot, was 30 years old. He was born in Nanaimo, but family members said he spent time in many communities on B.C.'s coast., including Ladysmith, Victoria and Quadra Island.
He was a graduate of the 848 Royal Roads Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron in Victoria.
Steffen Hagen, his father, told CBC News in an earlier interview that his son was caring and sensitive, and the loss will impact all those who got to know him.
All crew identified
Last week the military said the remains of all six who died in the Cyclone helicopter crash have now been identified.
They include Capt. Maxime Miron-Morin, an air combat systems officer originally from Becancour, Quebec, Sub-Lt. Matthew Pyke, a naval warfare officer originally from Truro, N.S., and Master Cpl. Matthew Cousins, an airborne electronic sensor operator originally from Guelph, Ont.
The homecoming for Sub-Lt. Abbigail Cowbrough took place on May 11 and the homecoming for Capt. Brenden MacDonald, Captain Maxime Miron-Morin, Sub-Lt. Matthew Pyke, and Master Cpl. Matthew Cousins was held on June 25, in Halifax.
A Royal Canadian Air Force flight safety investigation into the circumstances of the accident is ongoing. The investigation is currently focused on aircraft systems and human factors as possible causes of the crash.