Family of late Quebec businessman sues helicopter company in 2019 deadly crash
Savoura founder Stéphane Roy and his teenage son died after chopper crashed
A United States helicopter company is facing a $50-million lawsuit in the 2019 crash that killed the founder of a Quebec greenhouse farming company and his teenage son.
The estate of Stéphane Roy, the late founder and ex-CEO of Savoura, has launched a lawsuit against Robinson Helicopter Company Inc. in Quebec Superior Court.
Robinson is the manufacturer of the R44 helicopter that crashed in Quebec in July 2019, killing Roy and his son Justin Roy Seguin, who were returning from a fishing trip.
The downed chopper was found in a wooded area near Lac Valtrie, Que., about 220 kilometres northwest of Montreal, 14 days after they were reported missing.
In a report released in 2021, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada attributed the cause of the crash to main rotor blade failure. The agency said one of the blades had worn out over time due to multiple adhesive failures.
"The investigation determined that a sudden increase in these failures likely contributed to significantly reducing the stiffness of the blade, causing severe vibrations,'' the TSB report read. "The rotational speed of the main rotor then fell too low, preventing the aircraft from remaining in flight.''
The lawsuit was initially filed in California in July 2021 but Robinson Helicopter sought to have the case moved to Quebec, a step that was affirmed in January 2025 by the California Court of Appeal.
Daniel Roy, brother of Stéphane Roy and executor of the estate, said in a statement Friday that the family is determined to uncover the complete truth behind the deaths.