Former Air Force officer Wing Commander Nelson Patrick Sorgbordzor has downplayed suggestions that adverse weather played a decisive role in a recent military helicopter crash that claimed the lives of eight distinguished individuals.

Speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show on Wednesday, August 13, Wing Commander Sorgbordzor offered a firm defence of both pilot competency and operational protocol when it comes to flying in difficult weather conditions.

“In the Air Force, or everywhere, we have grades of pilots,” he explained. “If he were not qualified to fly in bad weather, he wouldn’t fly.”

He went on to describe the structured licensing system that governs a pilot’s ability to operate in different meteorological conditions.

“We have licences, maybe A, B, C, D, and it’s all green that makes them fly in all weather,” he said, referring to the progressive nature of pilot certifications. “And I don’t think the bad weather was so bad.”

His remarks directly challenge the assumption that weather could be a central factor in the crash, suggesting instead that the pilot would have been properly cleared and capable of handling the flight under such conditions.

Sorgbordzor also spoke to the limitations of emergency landings when flying over forested terrain, noting that, unlike populated areas, there are few, if any, viable landing options.

“Talking about an aircraft landing in a school, there was a space for it to go and land,” he said.

“But you fly over a forest area, where are you going to land? If the village had a park and they attempted to land there, that is what we call a forced landing. But over the forest, there is nowhere to land except on trees.”