The Transportation Safety Board of Canada lifted the wreckage of Cougar flight 491 off the ocean floor in 2009, after it crashed southeast of St. John's, killing 17.The Transportation Safety Board of Canada lifted the wreckage of Cougar flight 491 off the ocean floor in 2009, after it crashed southeast of St. John's, killing 17. (CBC)

The federal Transportation Safety Board has completed a draft report on its investigation into the crash of Cougar Helicopter's Flight 491 last year.

In March 2009, one of the company's Sikorsky S92 choppers went down 55 kilometres southeast of St. John's, killing 17 people.

A TSB spokesman said Friday that the board's draft report was finished last week and sent to "all parties involved" for review and comment.

The report was sent Cougar Helicopters Ltd., the Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., as well as relatives of the passengers and pilots aboard. The report must undergo a "peer review" by independent experts in the field before it's released publicly.

A TSB official said it could be a year before the final report is released.

In June, Cougar launched a lawsuit against Sikorsky. Cougar is seeking $25 million in damages from the U.S.-based helicopter maker.

It alleges Sikorsky "fraudulently misrepresented" the S92 helicopter's capabilities when it said the helicopter could continue to operate for a half hour after losing oil pressure.