$50M lawsuit: Estate of late Savoura founder sues U.S. helicopter company in 2019 deadly Quebec crash

The family of former Savoura CEO Stéphane Roy and his teen son — killed in a 2019 helicopter crash — are suing a U.S. helicopter maker for $50 million.

“He was always protecting me. He was always taking care of me. So now I’m taking care of him and of his memory,” said Daniel Roy, executor of the estate, and Stéphane’s brother.

On Friday, the Roy family filed a $50-million lawsuit against Robinson Helicopter Company, Inc. — the U.S. manufacturer of the R44 helicopter involved in the July 2019 crash that killed Stéphane and his 15-year-old son, Justin.

On July 10, 2019, Stéphane and Justin disappeared while returning from a fishing trip aboard a Robinson R44 helicopter. Their disappearance sparked an extensive two-week search involving the Canadian Armed Forces, Quebec Provincial Police (SQ), the Canadian Coast Guard, and hundreds of volunteers.

“Fishing was a passion for him. Hunting, fishing was a passion. We have a lot of stories of fishing story with him. We have a lot adventures,” explained Roy.

Their bodies were recovered 14 days later in a wooded area near Lac Valtrie, about 220 kilometres northwest of Montreal.

The lawsuit was initially filed in California on July 8, 2021.

According to a press release from Motley Rice, a U.S. aviation litigations firm, representing the Roy family, Robinson Helicopter sought to move the case to Quebec, viewing it as a more favourable jurisdiction. In January 2025, the California Court of Appeal ruled the case would indeed proceed in Quebec.

“My family and I are determined to uncover the complete truth behind this tragic event that took my brother and nephew,” Roy said.

“Investigations by the Transportation Safety Board and independent experts have uncovered significant negligence by Robinson Helicopter. Without accountability, tragedies like this could happen again. We discovered numerous similar incidents involving Robinson aircraft. Our mission is to end these preventable tragedies and hold Robinson accountable.”

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) investigated and issued a report in March 2021 concluding that the crash near Lac Valtrie in Quebec resulted from the failure of a main rotor blade.

“All analyses, conducted by both the TSB and independent experts, point to gross negligence by the helicopter manufacturer,” Roy added.

The TSB suggested periodic inspections of emergency locator transmitters in helicopters after finding a defect in the one Roy was piloting.

“I’m pretty sure that it will be long. But we will be there and strong until the end,” added Roy.

CityNews reached out to Robinson Helicopter Company, Inc. for comment and they sent the following statement:

“Robinson Helicopter (RHC) takes all accidents very seriously, including the tragic 2019 Lac Valtrie accident that took the lives of Mr. Roy and his son,” said David Smith, president and CEO of Robinson Helicopter Company. “RHC is committed to making sure that future accidents with similar circumstances are prevented in the future. This is why it is essential that RHC sets the record straight about all of the facts of this case. Despite RHC participating directly in the accident investigation and providing irrefutable technical analysis contradicting the TSB’s assertions, the TSB ignored critical evidence and dismissed the likelihood of carburetor icing, which multiple experts and investigators found to be highly likely.”

“RHC believes the engine failed on the accident aircraft due to carburetor icing, followed by a failed emergency landing by the pilot,” added Smith. “This is consistent with the aircraft and engine condition after the accident. With only select facts discussed, we believe the TSB report is highly flawed. RHC welcomes a full re-evaluation of the evidence, examining the importance of carburetor icing prevention.”