Investigation underway into deadly Snowbirds crash in B.C.
The commanding officer of the Snowbirds defended the reliabilityof his team's decades-old aircraft and said he hopes said the squad will fly again, one day after a fatal crash that has put the safety of the Canadian Forces aerobatics program under fresh scrutiny.
At a press conference in Moose Jaw, Sask., where the Snowbirds are based, Lieut.-Col. Mike French described the crash in Kamloops, B.C. that killed Captain Jennifer Casey as the team's absolute worst nightmare," but said it shouldn't mean the team should be scrapped.
He said Snowbirds are Canadian ambassadors" whose high-flying maneuvers demonstrate the skill, professionalism and teamwork of the Canadian Forces" and serve as an important platform for recruiting."
It's a mission I can get behind, it's a mission I believe in. So I certainly hope our mission will continue."
The jet had just left the airport in Kamloops at around 11:45 a.m. local time when it crashed shortly after takeoff. The incident killed Casey, the Snowbirds public affairs officer, and left the pilot, Capt. Richard MacDougall, with serious but non life-threatening injuries.
French said the precise circumstances still aren't known, but both Casey and MacDougall ejected before the plane hit the ground. He said the crash site has been secured by local law enforcement, and an investigation team from the Directorate of Flight Safety in Ottawa had arrived to determine the cause of the incident.
French said it's typical for the directorate to release preliminary findings within about 30 days, but the full investigation could take more than a year. Investigoators will review video footage and conduct interviews, and examine human factors, weather conditions, maintenance activity that could have contributed to the crash.
The incident Sunday was the second time in seven months a Snowbird has crashed. On Oct. 13, 2019, a Snowbird jet crashed into a farmer's field before a scheduled show at the Atlanta Speedway in Georgia, forcing the pilot to eject. He suffered minor injuries.
The crash Sunday involved in jet slamming into a residential neighbourhood, leaving a smoking wreckage on the front lawn of a home, illustrating the potential danger of the flights to members of the public as well as Armed Forces members.
Paul Maillet, a retired colonel who served 33 years in the RCAF, said Sunday's disaster is the latest indication that the Snowbird program should be shut down.
I just personally think it's time, I really do," he said in an interview.
Maillet argued that there was always case to be made that the Snowbirds weren't a worthwhile use of armed forces funding, given that the team is not involved in combat missions and its operations are primarily for public enjoyment. He said the financial pressure the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will place on the Canadian Armed Forces will only make the expenditure more difficult to justify.
In 2017 the Department of National Defence said operating the flying team cost $4.3 million a year, according to media reports from the time.
On top of the economic factors, Maillet said it's unusual for a fleet to experience two crashes in as short a time period as seven months, and the pair of recent incidents could be a sign the Snowbirds' Tutor jets, which are more than 55 years old, are no longer safe.
"Do we really need this, in this new normal that is coming?" Maillet said of the program. "These kinds of things are nice to have' but certainly I would question the essential nature of it."
At the news conference Monday, French defended the jets, which he said are effectively rebuilt every two years to keep them in mint condition" and are thoroughly inspected before every flight.
Safety is the number one priority of the Snowbirds," he said.
Casey and MacDougall were part of a cross-country tour with the agile air team to lift the spirits of Canadians and salute front-line workers during the COVID-19 pandemic," as part of Operation Inspiration," the Royal Canadian Air Force said in a statement.
The entire fleet of Snowbirds has now been put on operational pause" and the inspiration tour delayed indefinitely," the armed forces said.
Residents in the Kamloops neighbourhood where the jet crashed were still recovering from the shock Monday.
Marni Capostinsky said she and her three children used to enjoy watching recreational pilots flying over their house in Kamloops. But when Capostinsky heard planes roar overhead Monday morning, she cringed.
After yesterday, the sound brings you back ... it's almost traumatizing," said Capostinsky, who saw Sunday's crash from her deck. It was a pretty scary day, that's for sure."
She lives kitty-corner to the house where the plane crashed. She said she doesn't know the couple who live there well but heard they weren't physically hurt.
I feel so terrible for the (team member) that passed," said Capostinsky. But at the same time I'm so thankful that everybody is OK in the neighbourhood, because it could have been a lot worse than it was."
All the same, it was a rough night for the neighbourhood, and it will take a while for people to recover, she said.
Authorities at the scene had run a generator throughout Sunday night and lit the investigation area with flood lights.
I didn't get a lot of sleep," she said. Last night was so surreal, with the lights and the army people and the police tape."
On Monday morning, debris was still littered on her yard and yellow caution tape spanned her driveway. People in camouflage uniforms walked in and out of the crash site.
About seven houses down the street, Richard Needham surveyed the scene outside his window. The normally bustling street, full of children playing and riding bikes, was eerily quiet.
He said he and his neighbours are still reeling from the shock of the past day's events. It's surreal," he said. It's just hard to believe that something like that happened so close to home."
The street was still closed off Monday afternoon and police were instructing residents to stay away from the crash site, said Needham, who has lived in the area for about 15 years.
He had been in his garage Sunday when he heard what sounded like an airplane flying overhead. Then, he heard a big bang" that was so loud he felt it."
It almost sounded like somebody broke the sound barrier, the explosion was that loud," he said.
He rushed out of the garage and saw a big cloud of smoke down the street. He ran toward it and as he got closer, spotted pieces of airplane in his neighbours' yards. Then he noticed the power lines had fallen, stopping him in his tracks.
Needham said he saw neighbours trying to put out the fire with garden hoses.
Casey joined the Canadian Forces in 2014 and was based out of Trenton, Ont. She had previously worked in radio as a reporter, anchor and producer in her hometown of Halifax and Belleville, Ont., according to her Royal Canadian Air Force bio.
Casey spent most of 2018 with the CF-18 Demo Team, travelling around North America and the United Kingdom. She joined the Snowbirds in November 2018.
Tim Durkin, who worked with Casey at Quinte Broadcasting in Belleville, Ont., said they became fast friends when she joined the station in 2013.
She just jumped right into the community and was involved with it," he said. Just somebody that when she walked into a room, she just made you smile. She was a great person and a great friend as well."
Durkin said she loved hockey - particularly the Montreal Canadiens - and they attended the world junior hockey championship together three years ago in Montreal.
Casey's roots were in Nova Scotia, a province already ravaged by tragedy in the past month.
The Snowbirds team was scheduled to travel from Kamloops to nearby Vernon on Sunday as part of Operation Inspiration, intended to provide good cheer during the COVID-19 pandemic. The operation started in Nova Scotia earlier this month and features the team's signature nine-jet formation.
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 RCAF. Eleven aircraft are used during shows, with nine flying and two kept as spares.
The RCAF obtained the Tutor jets flown by the Snowbirds 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.
In 2007 Capt. Shawn McCaughey, then Snowbird No. 2, fell out of his seat, lost control of his plane and crashed into a Montana Air Force base. An investigation found a seatbelt failure on the plane contributed to his death.
Late Sunday, the Air Force posted a message on social media, saying it 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."
It said the members and families are being provided with as much support as possible to help them through this difficult time."
With files from Kristin Rushowy and The Canadian Press
Ben Spurr is a Toronto-based reporter covering transportation for the Star. Reach him by email at bspurr@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @BenSpurr
Alex McKeen is a Vancouver-based reporter covering transportation and labour for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @alex_mckeen
Evelyn Kwong is a Star digital producer based in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @evystadium