Cause of Snowbirds crash won't be known for weeks or months, commanding officer says
Lt.-Col. Mike French says the pilot would have ordered the ejection only after all options had run out
The commanding officer of the Snowbirds said Sunday's crash was a worst-case scenario that became an "absolute worst nightmare."
Speaking in Moose Jaw Monday, Lt.-Col. Mike French said the circumstances leading up to the crash are still not known.
A Snowbirds jet crashed shortly after takeoff in Kamloops, B.C., on Sunday. Capt. Jenn Casey, a public affairs officer with the Snowbirds, died in the crash. The pilot, Capt. Richard MacDougall, survived with non-life-threatening injuries.
"Yesterday's circumstances led to the confluence of all those worst-case scenarios and it became our absolute worst nightmare," Lt.-Col. French said at a media briefing.
The Snowbirds were doing a cross-country tour to raise people's spirits during the COVID-19 pandemic. The crash caused a residential fire.
Lt.-Col. French described Casey as "a tireless and energetic officer."
"She absolutely loved this job," he said. "Her loss is a serious blow not only to our team but to the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Canadian Armed Forces as a whole."
WATCH | Neighbours stunned after Snowbirds crash:
Prior to the crash, both MacDougall and Casey ejected. French said MacDougall would have ordered the ejection only after all options had run out.
"Our pilots are highly trained to do this manoeuvre," he said. "Not only that, we brief it before takeoff every time. And what you saw yesterday was the confluence of a whole bunch of intersecting circumstances where it led to our worst-case scenario."
French said pilots do everything they can to mitigate the risks to the public.
"It's absolutely our first priority as pilots in these airplanes to consider the safety of the public, the safety of our personnel and the safety of the protection of equipment and preservation of property," he said.
Investigation could take a year to complete
The accident is still under investigation. French said typically the investigator will provide a quick snapshot within about 30 days, but the full investigation can take up to a year or longer to complete.
About every second year, once the planes accumulate 400 hours of flying time, the CT-114 Tutor planes are torn down and rebuilt, French said, so the planes are in "mint condition."
He said planes are also inspected every time prior to flying by avionics people, aircraft structures people, safety systems people and the pilot.
For now, the Snowbirds are grounded, though French said he hopes the mission continues.
"As Canadian ambassadors, we demonstrate the skill, professionalism and teamwork of the Canadian Forces and we serve as a platform for recruiting. It's a mission that I can get behind, it's a mission I believe in and it's a mission that I believe is important."
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