The Transportation Safety Board says a helicopter pilot killed in a crash in British Columbia almost two years ago was sick in the days leading up to the accident and reported 鈥渟hivering uncontrollably鈥� before the aircraft went down.

The board鈥檚 report on the November 2022 crash says the helicopter was on a surveying flight near Kitsault, B.C., in the province鈥檚 northwest when the pilot reported being 鈥渦nwell鈥� about an hour and a half after takeoff.

The report says the helicopter crashed into a 鈥渉eavily forested mountainside,鈥� killing the pilot and destroying the aircraft.

The safety board says investigators couldn鈥檛 鈥渄etermine the full context鈥� of the fatal crash because the helicopter did not have flight data recording equipment that captures images and audio from aircraft cockpits.

The report says the Airbus helicopter was fitted with a tracking unit, but the data it records was 鈥渢oo sparse鈥� to figure out the aircraft鈥檚 鈥渆xact manoeuvring鈥� in the minutes before it went down.

The board鈥檚 report says the pilot was over 65 years old and had up-to-date medical certification and though he鈥檇 had past troubles with vertigo, the feverish symptoms and shivering during the flight suggested he 鈥渓ikely experienced a degree of incapacitation鈥� before the crash.

The Transportation Safety Board has previously recommended that flight data recorders be required on commercial and private aircraft where they are not required now.

鈥淭he benefits of recorded flight data in aircraft accident investigations are well known and documented,鈥� the report says, adding that the recommendation for 鈥渕andatory鈥� installation was made after a fatal airplane crash that killed four people in 2016.

Transport Canada agreed to the recommendation, but there have been 鈥渓engthy delays in implementation,鈥� the board says in its report.

It says Transport Canada has pushed back its timeline to publish details of possible regulatory changes until 2025 for 鈥渁dditional analysis.鈥�