A member of the Royal of the Canadian Air Force has died after a plane crashed into a home in a residential neighbourhood in Kamloops late this morning.
According to a press release issued by BC RCMP, officers received reports that a Canadian Air Force Snowbird jet crashed into a residence on Glenview Avenue in Kamloops at 11:42 a.m.
“This is a dynamic situation and we are unable to confirm status or injuries at this time. The RCMP will be working with other safety and regulatory agencies to determine the cause of the crash,” Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey, BC RCMP Communication Services, said in the release.
The Royal Canadian Air Force confirmed in a social media late this afternoon that one member of the CF Snowbirds team has died and one has sustained serious injuries.
“It is with heavy hearts that we announce that one member of the CF Snowbirds team has died and one has sustained serious injuries. We can confirm that we have contacted all primary family members of those involved. More information will be communicated in the near future,” the RCAF said on Twitter.
A source told The Canadian Press and CBC that the person who died was Capt. Jenn Casey, a public affairs officer with the Canadian Forces.
Officials have yet to publicly confirm the identity of the crash victim.
Casey is a graduate of Royal Roads University, according to the air force’s website.
In a media briefing, City of Kamloops officials described the accident site as significant in size.
A recent post from the Canadian Forces Snowbirds Twitter account, said that nine of their jets were scheduled to fly from the region to Comox today.
Adrian Dix, the province’s health minister, had said in a tweet earlier in the day that one person has been taken to hospital following the crash.
Prior to Sunday’s crash, a total of seven pilots and one passenger have been killed and multiple aircraft had been lost over the course of the Snowbirds’ history, according to the Canadian Press.
This story has been updated to fix a previous error that incorrectly stated that Capt. Jenn Casey was a pilot.
It is with heavy hearts that we announce that one member of the CF Snowbirds team has died and one has sustained serious injuries. We can confirm that we have contacted all primary family members of those involved. More information will be communicated in the near future.
— Royal Canadian Air Force (@RCAF_ARC) May 17, 2020
#Kamloops @snowbirds crash was recorded on video. Shows two people eject from the aircraft but parachutes do not appear to have time to deploy. @CHEK_News https://t.co/Mf0ur4JOVX
— Dean Stoltz (@deanstoltzchek) May 17, 2020
OKANAGAN: We know some areas are starting to clear up, however transit through some of the mountain passes have very low cloud cover which is unsafe for flying 9 jets. We are going to preposition to Comox to start working our way west.
— CF Snowbirds (@CFSnowbirds) May 17, 2020
I am deeply saddened by the news of today’s @CFSnowbirds crash & my thoughts are with all those involved. The @CanadianForces are working with local authorities & will update as information becomes available. I would like to thank local first responders for their ongoing support. https://t.co/eSqBomSkPh
— Harjit Sajjan (@HarjitSajjan) May 17, 2020
Snowbirds were bound for Comox when the crash happened.#Snowbirds https://t.co/IWU4uKjR1z
— Nicholas M Pescod (@npescod) May 17, 2020
Nicholas Pescod
