Russian chopper pioneer is rescued in Arctic

A Russian helicopter pilot was assisted Monday by a Canadian ice-breaker ship after his craft went down in the Labrador sea between Canada and Greenland, the Canadian army said.

“The pilot was found, well, by the Coast Guard vessel Pierre Radisson. Now they are en route to Iqaluit,” in Nunavut, an announcement on Twitter said.

Sergei Ananov, who went missing Saturday, was found by a massive search operation by sea and air. Ananov, who set out from Moscow in June in a Robinson R22, was trying to become the first loop all the way around the Arctic in a helicopter.

His helicopter plunged into the sea after about 300 kilometers (186 miles) in the air, forcing Ananov to bail out.

The icebreaker spotted a distress signal fired by Ananov, which led it to his aid after he had spent 36 hours in frigid cold.

Now, after getting supplies in Iqaluit, Nunavut, was hoping to get back to Greenland soaring 800 kilometers (500 miles) over the Davis Strait, which connects the Atlantic and Arctic oceans.