A Canadian Armed Forces Snowbirds jet has crashed in Kamloops, the latest incident involving Canada’s famed aerobatic team in less than a year.
Sunday’s crash occurred the same day the Snowbirds were scheduled to complete a flyover of the Okanagan as part of Operation Inspiration, a salute to Canadians and front-line workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Video from the area appears to show at least one person ejecting from the plane before it disappears behind a stand of trees and an explosion is heard.
The Snowbirds have performed at air shows across Canada and the U.S. for decades and are considered a key tool for raising awareness about — and recruiting for — the air force. Eleven aircraft are used during shows, with nine flying and two kept as spares.
The air force obtained its Tutor jets in 1963 and has used them in air demonstrations since 1971. Before Sunday’s crash, seven pilots and one passenger had been killed and several aircraft had been lost over the course of the Snowbirds’ history.
Here is a timeline of some of the crashes and other incidents involving the Snowbirds:
Oct. 13, 2019: Capt. Kevin Domon-Grenier safely ejected from his plane just before an aerobatics show in the U.S. His jet crashed into an unpopulated area near Hampton, Ga. No one on the ground was injured.
Oct. 9, 2008: A Snowbird jet carrying pilot Capt. Bryan (Mav) Mitchell and the photographer Sgt. Charles (Chuck) Senecal crashes in a farmer’s field near 15 Wing Moose Jaw, an airbase in southwest Saskatchewan. Senecal was photographing three other planes flying in formation at the time of the crash. An Armed Forces report on the fatal crash said there were no mechanical problems and the pilot may have lost awareness of how low he was flying.
May 18, 2007: Capt. Shawn McCaughey of Quebec is killed when his jet crashed while he was practising for an air show at the Malmstrom Air Force Base in northern Montana. A military report later concluded that McCaughey’s seatbelt came unfastened as he was steering his plane through a roll, causing him to fall out of his seat and lose control of the plane.
Aug. 24, 2005: Capt. Andrew Mackay ejects from his aircraft over Thunder Bay, Ont., after losing thrust. The jet crashed in a vacant field. Mackay is treated in hospital and released.
December 10, 2004: Two Snowbirds jets crash in mid-air during a practice near Mossbank, Sask. One pilot, Capt. Miles Selby, 31, was killed, and the other, Capt. Chuck Mallett, sustained minor injuries. Selby was too inexperienced and lacked the training to complete the complex manoeuvre he was attempting, according to an Air Force report.
June 21, 2001: Two jets flying in a nine-jet formation collide over Lake Erie, sending one of the jets into the water. The pilot, Maj. Robert Painchaud, ejected from his aircraft and landed in Lake Erie without injury.
Sept. 4, 2000: On Labour Day weekend, two of the Snowbirds’ Tutor jets sustain minor damage when the wing of one craft grazes the tail of another as they are on the way to the Canadian International Air Show in Toronto. The pilots were not injured and both planes landed safely.
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This article was originally posted by CBC News on May 18, 2020
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