CF Snowbirds jet crashed in Kamloops

[underscore]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...oops-1.5573930

The Canadian Forces Snowbirds' cross-country tour to raise people's spirits during the COVID-19 pandemic turned to tragedy Sunday when one of its planes plunged into the ground in Kamloops, B.C., killing one member and injuring another.

The Snowbirds jet crashed shortly after takeoff and burst into flames in the front yard of a house.

Capt. Jenn Casey, a public affairs officer with the Snowbirds, died in the crash, the Canadian Armed Forces said in a statement.

The pilot of the CT-114 Tutor aircraft, Capt. Richard MacDougall, sustained serious injuries in the crash, but they are not considered life-threatening.

Casey is from Halifax and joined the Canada's Armed Forces in 2014 after several years working as a journalist, according to her biography on the Royal Canadian Air Force website.
Jenn Casey, a public affairs officer with the Snowbirds, died Sunday in the crash. (Royal Canadian Air Force)

The crash happened before noon PT, shortly after the jet took off from the Kamloops Airport. Witnesses say it was following another jet when it appeared to veer upward and circle the tarmac before going into a nosedive.

Video shows two puffs of black smoke coming from the plane and appears to show at least one person ejecting from the jet shortly before it hit the ground in a residential area near Glenview Avenue and Schreiner Street.

"Canadians look at the Snowbirds as a source of joy and an exhibition of the incredible feats that our people in uniform are capable of," Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said in a statement Sunday evening.

"Operation Inspiration was intended to lift the spirit of Canadians at this difficult time and the Snowbirds accomplished their mission. I know that all Canadians grieve this tragic loss."

In a statement, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he is "deeply saddened" and that his thoughts are with the families of Capt. Casey and Capt. MacDougall, and the entire Snowbirds team. He thanked emergency crews in Kamloops for responding quickly.

"For the past two weeks, the Snowbirds have been flying across the country to lift up Canadians during these difficult times," Trudeau said.

"Every day, they represent the very best of Canada and demonstrate excellence through incredible skill and dedication. Their flyovers across the country put a smile on the faces of Canadians everywhere and make us proud.

"Sophie and I join all Canadians in offering our heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of Captain Jennifer Casey. All Canadians are with you during this difficult time."

Kamloops Mayor Ken Christian described the crash as a "tragic scene."

"This accident today really shakes us to our core, but we will do our best to support the military and the men and women in service," Christian said during a media briefing Sunday afternoon.
Jenn Casey is from Halifax and joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 2014 after several years working as a journalist, according to her biography on the RCAF website.

Emergency crews from the Kamloops Airport initially responded to the incident. The Snowbirds were scheduled to do a flyover of the Okanagan area on Sunday. They will remain grounded for now, Christian said.

The CAF Flight Safety team will leave Ottawa Sunday night to begin its investigation into the circumstances of the crash, the CAF said.

Kamloops RCMP are asking the public to avoid the area. They're asking anyone who may have captured the crash on video to contact them.
Witness saw parachute land on house

Witness Annette Schonewille said she saw the jet fall from the sky.

Schonewille was parked with friends having coffee at McArthur Island Park in Kamloops.
The jet had just taken off from the Kamloops Airport when it went into a nosedive. (CBC News)

She said she watched one Snowbirds plane fly up and when the second one went after it, it appeared to catch on fire.

"The one plane continued and the other one ... was a ball of fire," she said.

"No noise, it was strange, and then the plane just did a cartwheel and fell right out of the sky. Just boom, straight down, and then a burst of black, black smoke."
'It was complete chaos'

Nolyn McLeod lives across from the house where the plane landed.

He was sitting in his yard with his father when the plane went right over them, about three metres above their roof, he said.

"We saw the pilot eject like maybe two storeys high, and then the plane with no pilot in it went right between me and my neighbour's house," he said.

The plane curved into the street and hit the bedroom window of the neighbour's house, he said.
Witnesses say the Snowbirds pilot landed with a parachute on the roof of this house in Kamloops, B.C., a few homes away from where the plane crashed.

McLeod said he ran to the front of that house, then tried to direct a gathering crowd away from power lines.

The charred plane was sitting in the neighbour's front lawn, he said.

"The house was all burnt and charred; the roof was caving in," he said. "It was pretty bad. The whole lawn was on fire.

"It was complete chaos. People were yelling and screaming. We thought we were getting bombed or something. That's how hectic it was."

A Canadian Forces Snowbirds jet has crashed in Kamloops, B.C. Mike Trafford, who was a witness to the scene, describes what he saw. 3:39

Elwood Delaney said he watched two Snowbirds jets take off from the airport near his house.

"The other one didn't quite bank up high enough and it kind of got it behind the trees and [I] saw a parachute come out of it and then smoke there," he said.

"I saw one parachuter who landed on a house close by."

Photos provided to CBC News by Delaney show the remains of a jet in the front yard of a house and what appears to be a parachute on the roof.

Neighbours and passersby crowded around the front yard behind police tape.
A Snowbirds jet crashed near a house in Kamloops, B.C., on Sunday. B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix said one person was taken to hospital after the crash. (Elwood Delaney)

Rose Miller lives directly across the street from the house where the plane hit and said a couple who live there are in their 70s.

The woman had been in the basement while the man was behind the house at the time of the crash, she said.

Both of them are OK, she said, noting she'd spoken with them after they were moved to a nearby street.

Christian said one home was significantly damaged by fire, and an injured person was found at another home.

There was a large amount of debris around three houses, he added, saying the incident has "shaken that neighbourhood."
Snowbirds jet crashed in U.S. last October

The Transportation Safety Board said it is offering assistance to the Canadian Forces with its investigation into the crash.

The jets had arrived in Kamloops on Saturday after flyovers in Alberta.

On Sunday morning the Snowbirds tweeted that some mountain passes had low cloud cover, which would be unsafe to fly through.

In an Instagram story post on Saturday, a Snowbirds pilot said the team was in Kamloops and was dealing with some "electrical malfunctions."

This is the latest incident involving the military's aerobatic team in less than a year.

Another Snowbirds jet went down in the U.S. state of Georgia last October, where the team had been scheduled to perform an air show.

Capt. Kevin Domon-Grenier sustained minor injuries when he ejected from the plane, which crashed into a farmer's field. No one else was hurt.

The Snowbirds have performed at air shows across Canada and the U.S. for decades and are considered a key tool for raising awareness 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. Prior to Sunday's crash, seven pilots and one passenger had been killed and several aircraft had been lost over the course of the Snowbirds' history.

My heart goes out to all her family and friends, and the entire Snowbirds team.

[The Producer]

RIP Capt. Casey and fast recovery to Capt. MacDougall

I was so excited about this tour - it seemed like the perfect way to bring Canadians together in such a bummer of a time.

2020 fucking sucks.

[punkwax]

So sad especially because this was intended to lift people’s spirits. RIP

[Mancini]

I’ve been speaking with coworkers across the country as the Snowbirds appeared there. Was really looking forward to their local arrival. Terrible news.

[whitev70r]

Apparently, there was another Snowbird plane crash less than a year ago. These planes are old, can we not get the team some better planes? They are like from the 60's.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/snowb...line-1.5573947

[Bouncing Bettys]

I have seen comments on fb saying this is pilot error or hotdogging gone wrong, which I disagree.

How I interpreted what happened (as a layman): 1. that they encountered a mechanical failure during take-off, broke off from formation and immediately tried to gain altitude (the more you have, the more options you have to come out of it) 2. in order to make a turn (you lose altitude while turning, ie: Fairchild B52 crash) for an emergency landing/safe ejection/avoid crashing over a populated area. 3. pilot tried to save it (human nature took over) before it became too late to eject.

These are old airframes, requiring a lot of maintenance, so a mechanical issue seems likely. Canada's Sea King helicopter fleet was in service for 55 years and 1 hour of flight required something like 30 hours of maintenance.

*speaking from experience: the standards for military aircraft in terms of component certification and traceability (laughable in the US, even for civil a/c - wouldn't you want to know if the overhauled part you are purchasing and installing, was once in a crashed aircraft? The US doesn't care.) is much less than for civilian aircraft - other than security issues while in your control. They literally fly by their own rules. Even under flight, their rules aren't as stringent, and understandably so. They don't have innocent lives in their care. Let alone the stories I heard of companies rubberstamping or cutting corners on overhauled/repaired/used parts in order to make a quick buck.

This tragic incident will keep me interested to hear of the final report, not just for my background, but for it occuring in what I consider my hometown. I spent much of my life growing up and living in Kamloops, and the Snowbirds put on many great shows throughout those years. I had the privilege of watching from a home which overlooked the valleys and airport.

[twitchyzero]

i know someone in an aerobatics team and they fly Soviet planes from the 70s

[JD¹³]

Originally Posted by Bouncing Bettys

I have seen comments on fb saying this is pilot error or hotdogging gone wrong, which I disagree.

Anyone saying this was pilot error is an armchair idiot that has no idea what they're talking about. Rich did everything right.

The aircraft suffered an engine failure, why will be determined in the investigation. In the videos taken at the end of the runway you can hear the pop of the engine flaming out as it goes by, and the pilot immediately reacts correctly for an EFATO and zooms for altitude. He was very low altitude and low speed having just taken off, he tries to turn back to the airport because he would have seen nowhere to safely put the aircraft straight ahead of him. At this point the aircraft is so low energy it stalls and the left wing drops. It appears he rolls the aircraft all the way around left to get right side up to eject. From engine failure to ejection was barely 12 seconds. That's the blink of an eye while trying to control the aircraft, assess the emergency, react, and ultimately make the decision to pull the handle.

The Tutor has a very old seat that is not 0/0. Given the altitude it's a miracle Rich survived, but his chute barely opened and he has a broken back, ankles, and internal injuries from slamming in to the roof of a house. Tragically for Jenn there was little chance. She was a great girl and probably the best PAO in the Canadian Forces. This is a huge loss for the military, and another bitter blow after losing six people in the Cyclone crash just 17 days prior. Very dark days for us.

Lest we forget.

EDIT - Have to correct my post: the Tutor seat does automatically separate from the pilot and deploy the chute, but the chute is not integral in the seat like a modern setup. It is much slower than a modern seat which from pulling the handle to deployment of drogue chute is as little as half a second. In the Tutor it's closer to 2.5 seconds for this process. Sounds like splitting hairs but in this scenario at this altitude it made the difference between life and death.

[Infiniti]

Originally Posted by whitev70r

These planes are old, can we not get the team some better planes? They are like from the 60's.

Its in the works.

[Mancini]

I saw them at an air show last year. Awe inspiring skill and precision. Sad to lose a life and hear about bad injuries. They are so motivational, which is what this tour was about in the first place.

[pastarocket]

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/snow...er-may-18-2020

A mass flyover of 35 planes starts tonight from Abbotsford at 6:30pm as a tribute to the pilots of the Snowbird.

-from the article:

The mass flyover will begin at 6:30 pm at Abbotsford International Airport, with pilots following a lead plane that uses the callsign “Inspiration 1.”

The route will bring the flyover over Langley, White Rock, Surrey, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Coquitlam, Port Moody, Burnaby North, North Vancouver, West

Vancouver, Jericho Beach and English Bay, downtown Vancouver, and Burnaby Lake.

Once the first aircraft passes, there will be a line of aircraft that will last for about 14 minutes. The last aircraft is expected to arrive at the end of the route at approximately 7:30 pm.

[Mr.Money]

its a fucking miracle anyone survived.



that momentum of the craft going down carried the pilots towards the ground.

not only does it seem like you're jumping off a 80 story building,but something is pushing you down quicker

[teggy604]

Originally Posted by Infiniti

Its in the works.

Canada doesn't spend much on military. Even these planes were ex fighters from what I recall. So if anything snowbirds new plane will be the retired CF-18 Hornets. The RCAF is still waiting to replace their fighters. There has been talks to go Super Hornets, F35... etc. But nothing set in stone yet.

[twitchyzero]

thank Trudeau for being butthurt at Boeing...biting the hand that feeds
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/boe...-may-1.4295415
so we ended up procuring retired Australian fighters that's as old as our's

[Infiniti]

Originally Posted by teggy604

Canada doesn't spend much on military. Even these planes were ex fighters from what I recall. So if anything snowbirds new plane will be the retired CF-18 Hornets. The RCAF is still waiting to replace their fighters. There has been talks to go Super Hornets, F35... etc. But nothing set in stone yet.

I am well aware of the processes that are currently underway to select a permanent replacement for Canada's current fighter fleet. At no point has DND said the cf-18s will replace the Tudors. However, as I stated above the GoC is exploring options to replace the Tudor.

[JD¹³]

$755 million was budgeted to replace the Snowbirds by the federal government in 2012, Trudeau axed it. Back then the Snowbirds were due to have the Tutor replaced by this year. The previous federal government also made intent to purchase the F35 to replace our ancient CF-18, Trudeau axed it claiming it was single source and that his gov would launch an "open and transparent" competition. It's never happened, and the framework they did release caused most major competitors to back out because the required capabilities were too heavily favoured towards the F35. There's now less than no money for either. The CF-18 will never be the replacement for the Snowbirds as a single Hornet burns almost as much fuel as the nine Snowbirds combined and the airframes are just as tired. It would be 20-30 times the cost to operate the team.

Now they say the Snowbird Tutors are good until 2026-2030. This government will continue to kick the can down the road and do fuck all for the Canadian military. The 60 year old jet and ejection seat technology just caused the death of a crew member. To say that this government doesn't support the military or 'spend much' is a severely gross understatement. Our armed forces are in complete shambles and are quietly in a state of emergency from being under funded, under equipped, under manned, and under appreciated. Notice the massive drive for recruitment lately? They are desperate for new people and former members to come back. Do not be surprised to see American jets at Canadian bases within 10 years because we can no longer maintain our own sovereignty militarily.

[Infiniti]

Originally Posted by JD¹³

$755 million was budgeted to replace the Snowbirds by the federal government in 2012, Trudeau axed it. Back then the Snowbirds were due to have the Tutor replaced by this year. The previous federal government also made intent to purchase the F35 to replace our ancient CF-18, Trudeau axed it claiming it was single source and that his gov would launch an "open and transparent" competition. It's never happened, and the framework they did release caused most major competitors to back out because the required capabilities were too heavily favoured towards the F35. There's now less than no money for either. The CF-18 will never be the replacement for the Snowbirds as a single Hornet burns almost as much fuel as the nine Snowbirds combined and the airframes are just as tired. It would be 20-30 times the cost to operate the team.

Now they say the Snowbird Tutors are good until 2026-2030. This government will continue to kick the can down the road and do fuck all for the Canadian military. The 60 year old jet and ejection seat technology just caused the death of a crew member. To say that this government doesn't support the military or 'spend much' is a severely gross understatement. Our armed forces are in complete shambles and are quietly in a state of emergency from being under funded, under equipped, under manned, and under appreciated. Notice the massive drive for recruitment lately? They are desperate for new people and former members to come back. Do not be surprised to see American jets at Canadian bases within 10 years because we can no longer maintain our own sovereignty militarily.

I agree that the Tudor replacement fleet is likely not gonna happen anytime soon. As for the replacement fleet for the CF-18, well the contract award is expected in 2022. Bidders now have until July to submit their bids (due to covid). Bottom line: A replacement fleet is coming. Canada is far too invested in FFCP for it not to be real. I am not saying it'll be on time, but a decision is coming sooner rather later (relative to 2022 deadline).

[Mancini]

^thats alarming and sad. We’re saddled with the Trudeau National Debt and our military is underfunded to the point it can’t support our sovereignty?

[twitchyzero]

JD, if Russia and China tomorrow decides to take AK, YT and northern BC, can NORAD support a symmetrical defense?

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/boe...-may-1.4295415

[donk.]

im loving all the internet gurus here that know exactly what happened to the airplane

go read more news articles

[Bouncing Bettys]

Originally Posted by donk.

im loving all the internet gurus here that know exactly what happened to the airplane

go read more news articles

Since the only two people here who discussed what possibly happened to the airplane were myself and JD13, I assume you are referring to us. If I am not mistaken, JD13 is a pilot in the military. He has been very informative regarding aviation matters on here throughout the years. While myself am not a pilot, I am someone with 5 years in the aircraft industry. Thus why I discussed such things as part certification and traceability differences between the military, Transport Canada, and the FAA. My theories on the operation of the plane were strictly from a layman's perspective, which I pointed out from the begining. So I don't know why either of us would need to read more articles.

If I am mistaken in who you were referring to, please disregard.

[Tegra_Devil]

Facebook armchair pilots are absolutely retarded, some of the comments are digusting...(not talking about you bouncing bettys)

[JD¹³]

Originally Posted by twitchyzero

JD, if Russia and China tomorrow decides to take AK, YT and northern BC, can NORAD support a symmetrical defense?

OT and hypothetical but.... a multinational coordinated attack on native soil by those countries would unleash the full fury of the US military like the world has never seen. Every asset they have known, unknown, and developmental would be mobilized in defense of the continent and they would have a massive advantage of a short range landlocked supply chain. I hate to say it, but given the current state of the Canadian Forces Canada would provide support but little more. Such a move by Russia and China would spark WWIII with all of NATO (ex Turkey) and more coming to the defense of North America.

Good news, sounds like Capt. MacDougall does NOT have a broken back or any potential paralysis. His legs are in bad shape though, and the worst injuries of all may be psychological knowing that Jenn was lost

Spoiler!

Bouncing: I'm ex-RCAF now. Have shared an aircraft or a formation with four of this years Snowbirds, and have 1.1hrs in the CT-114 thanks to AETE letting me get up in one!

[dahonga]

Originally Posted by twitchyzero

JD, if Russia and China tomorrow decides to take AK, YT and northern BC, can NORAD support a symmetrical defense?

CONPLAN 3310 baby