The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Canadian jet’s flyover crashes, killing one, setting house ablaze
As two jets took off from an airport in British Columbia Sunday morning, one suddenly peeled away from its partner. The plane turned sharply up and banked left off its course before flipping into a nose dive and spinning as it dropped from the sky.
The CT-114 Tutor belonged to the Canadian Forces’ Snowbirds, a demonstration squadron of jets that perform air shows akin to the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels, which had been flying across Canada in a tribute to front-line coronavirus workers.
The demonstration to boost morale and support first responders, nurses, doctors and others turned deadly as the jet crashed Sunday, killing a crew member, seriously injuring the pilot and setting a nearby house ablaze.
Crew member Capt. Jennifer Casey died in the crash, the Canadian Armed Forces said in a statement Sunday.
“I am deeply saddened by the tragic loss of one Canadian Armed Forces member, Captain Jennifer Casey, and one injured, Captain Richard MacDougall, in today’s Snowbirds aircraft crash in Kamloops, British Columbia,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement late Sunday.
He said the squadron represents the “very best of Canada and demonstrate(s) excellence through incredible skill and dedication.” He offered condolences to Casey’s friends and family.
“All Canadians are with you during this difficult time,” he said.
MacDougall, who was piloting the aircraft, was taken to the hospital and is expected to recover from his injuries, officials said.
Casey was a public affairs officer for the Snowbirds. Originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia, she joined the Canadian Armed Forces nearly six years ago and had been flying with the Snowbirds since November 2018.
Before she joined the military, she had worked as a journalist in Canada, Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.
Military officials said a flight safety inspection will be conducted to ensure that the squadron can continue to fly safely, and determine the cause of the crash. Operation Inspiration will be temporarily halted, they added.
“The whole Defence Team family is deeply saddened by the loss of Captain Jenn Casey. Deepest condolences to her loved ones, and to her colleagues in the Snowbirds, the RCAF and her fellow Public Affairs Officers,” Jody Thomas, deputy minister of National Defence, said in a statement Sunday. “We also wish Captain Richard MacDougall a steady recovery through these most difficult of times.”
The Snowbirds’ nine jets have been traveling across Canada, performing air shows as part of Operation Inspiration, a series of performances intended to raise morale among people shut in their homes because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.