A CT-144 Tutor aircraft of the Canadian Snowbirds aerobatic team crashed during an exhibition flight. Both occupants managed to eject, but one crew member was killed.
It was the last flight of the Snowbirds in their “Operation Inspiration” tour that aimed at cheering up the Canadians amidst the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.
Shortly after takeoff from Kamloops Airport (YKA), British Columbia, the aircraft crashed in the courtyard of a residential building and ignited. Footage of the accident shows two CT-144 Tutor aircraft taking off from Kamloops Airport (YKA). At a certain point, one aircraft starts gathering height abruptly and then crashes down.
The captain of CT-144 Tutor, Jenny Casey, died. She was a Public Affairs Officer of the Snowbirds aerobatic team. The second crew member, Captain Richard MacDougall, got serious but not life-threatening injuries.
Witnesses describe the falling plane as a “ball of fire”. “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.”
After the plane rammed into the window of a private house, residents ran out and attempted to put the blaze out. “The house was all burnt and charred; the roof was caving in. It was pretty bad. The whole lawn was on fire”, said one of the bystanders.
The Canadian Air Force Flight Safety team announced the beginning of the investigation into the circumstances of the accident.