A CT-114 Tutor training jet of the Canadian Air Force ‘Snowbirds’ aerobatic team has crashed into a building in the city of Kamloops, killing a female team member while the pilot suffered serious injuries.
A routine Snowbirds flight in Kamloops on Sunday suddenly went wrong when one of the aircraft veered out of control and hit the ground soon after takeoff. Videos recorded by eyewitnesses showed the moment when the chilling incident occurred.
Here’s a video that was sent to us at @RadioNLNews from earlier this morning. #Kamloopspic.twitter.com/hc61YWscmQ
Two of the teams’ CT-114 Tutors took off from the Kamloops airport and were flying low. After gaining some altitude and making an aileron roll, one of them suddenly took a steep nosedive and two streams of smoke were seen ejecting out of it, followed by a loud bang.
Soon after that, the jet crashed into the ground.
“I heard these two huge bangs and all of a sudden up in the sky there was a dark black circle of smoke,” said Kerri Turatus. A witness says she rushed to this home where a @CFSnowbirds plane crashed in #Kamloops. No official word on the condition of the pilot. pic.twitter.com/igJOCZvDmk
The footage seems to confirm that the crew managed to eject before the crash – but it doesn’t show the chutes’ canopies deploying on time.
The plane crashed into a nearby house, with photos published on social media showing the wreckage burning in someone’s front yard. A parachute on a roof of another building is seen in separate footage.
Just a surreal scene. #Kamloops(from facebook) pic.twitter.com/rD6UjzeqdH
While part of the building was damaged, no one on the ground was hurt.
Snowbird crashes in Kamloops. pic.twitter.com/l5qQHOf7tR
The Canadian Air Force has confirmed the tragic crash, saying: “It is with heavy hearts that we announce that one member of the CF Snowbirds team has died and one has sustained serious injuries.”
The RCAF has suffered another tragic loss of a dedicated member of the RCAF team. We are deeply saddened and grieve alongside Jenn’s family and friends. Our thoughts are also with the loved ones of Captain MacDougall. We hope for a swift recovery from his injuries. – Comd RCAF pic.twitter.com/8U41bdVqcU
The victim was identified as Capt. Jenn Casey, a public affairs officer with the Snowbirds. The pilot of the aircraft, Capt. Richard MacDougall, sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
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