The president of a Nova Scotia construction company is being mourned after his death in a helicopter crash in New Brunswick on Saturday.

Josh Kelly, who flies for Air Canada and is a friend of the helicopter pilot, said a family member called and asked him to post a message on Facebook to let members of the dirt biking community know of the passing of Vincent Van Zutphen, president of Zutphen Contractors in Mabou.

“I’ve gotten to know the man as a passionate lover of life and definitely an adventurous spirit,” Kelly said.

“He had recently started training to be a helicopter pilot, something he’d been very enthusiastic about, and I enjoyed conversations with him supporting that. It’s very sad to see him go.”

According to its website, Zutphen Contractors was founded in 1964, with Vincent and his siblings representing the second generation of family ownership.

Kelly is past president of the Nova Scotia Off Road Riders Association, a group of about 800 members who train on and race dirt bikes.

Family support for dirt biking

He said the Van Zutphen family has supported the association for more than 15 years, generously providing the land for the Craigmore Ride Park in Cape Breton, south of the community of Judique.

Kelly said riders and their families came from all over the province to camp and enjoy events, often ending in late-night campfires, and the news of Van Zutphen’s death was a shock.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire family and the community in Cape Breton,” Kelly said. “I’m sure that there are a lot of people thinking about his loss.”

RCMP in New Brunswick and the military’s Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Halifax have not identified the pilot of the helicopter crash, but Zutphen Contractors has confirmed to CBC News that it was Vincent Van Zutphen.

According to search and rescue officials, the pilot was alone in his helicopter heading from Fredericton’s airport to the one in Sussex, N.B., on Saturday afternoon.

When the chopper did not arrive as expected, they searched the area by air and ground until 2:30 a.m. Sunday, when local firefighters found the aircraft cabin and pilot.

Search and rescue technicians were lowered to the ground, but the pilot was declared dead at the scene.

Few details have been released about the crash, but RCMP said it does not appear to be a criminal matter.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has taken over from RCMP, sending two investigators to the scene northwest of Sussex on Sunday and Monday.

The board said a commercially registered Robinson R-44 helicopter operated by Veezee Aviation was involved, with only the pilot on board.

According to Nova Scotia’s Registry of Joint Stock Companies, Veezee was first listed with the province in November and Vincent Van Zutphen is the company’s president and sole director.

An obituary had not been published by Monday afternoon.

Common love of flying

Kelly said Van Zutphen was not a dirt bike rider, but some of his family members are, and he and the company owner shared a common love of flying.

“I always enjoyed our conversations and banter around a fire post-race, or even just a telephone call,” he said.

“It could be about flying. It could be about upcoming events. But yeah, he and his brother Leonard I do count among friends.”

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