Four family members, including an 8-year-old girl, were killed late Saturday in a helicopter crash in a wooded area south of Quebec City.

Officials say the helicopter went down at 9:15 p.m. near St-Ferdinand, some 115 kilometres from the provincial capital.

Quebec provincial police received a call just before 11 p.m. and arrived at the crash site shortly after midnight.

"Unfortunately there were four people inside the helicopter...and they were all found dead," said Richard Gagné, a police spokesman.

The owner of the helicopter was Yvon Beaudoin, 65, from St-Nicolas, near Quebec City.

He died along with his wife, 67-year-old Marie-Paule Fréchette,his son Éric Beaudoin, 43, and his granddaughter, 8-year-old Mélizandre Beaudoin.

Two investigators from the federal Transportation Safety Board arrived at the scene Sunday morning.

Chris Krepski, a spokesman for the safety board, said they were still trying to determine the cause of the accident.

"It's very early going in an investigation," he said.

"We're on the site now to begin documenting the wreckage."

Investigators will also examine the aircraft maintenance records, the weather at the time of the crash, and whether there was any communication between the pilot and air traffic control, Krepski said.

He said the helicopter, a Robinson R44 that seats four people, was not required to have a black box.

The aircraft was destroyed but there was no post-crash fire, he said.