Canadian military plane that smashed into French plane had only been 'partially secured': report

A Canadian military airbus caused serious damage when it collided with a French military plane on an airstrip in Guam earlier this summer after the crew didn't fully secure the aircraft, says a recent report on the incident.

The Royal Canadian Air Force says a CC150 Polaris flew to Guam on July 21 to pick up Canadian military members who had been taking part in a multinational exercise in the Indo-Pacific.

The aircraft, which was loaded with equipment and baggage, landed in Guam around 9:45 p.m. local time and was scheduled to take off the following day, according to an occurrence summary posted online last week.

The crew from 8 Wing Trenton left the airfield for a rest, leaving the aircraft "partially secured (without chocks)," said the report.

"At approximately 10:30 local the following morning the aircraft began to roll backwards, nose veering to the left, and continued to roll," said the report.

The right horizontal and vertical stabilizers of the Canadian plane hit the tail of the French Air Force A400M.

"Following contact the CC150 rebounded forward coming to rest approximately eight metres from the point of impact," said the report.

"Both aircraft sustained serious damage."

No personnel were reported injured.

The air force said the initial review did not reveal any evidence of technical issues with the aircraft and an investigation will now focus "on procedures, communications and human factors."

It's not clear yet whether Canada will have to reimburse France for the damage.

"The course of action for the aircraft in question is still being determined," said Department of National Defence spokesperson Daniel Le Bouthillier in an email.

The Polaris fleet is made up of five converted Airbus A310-300s used by high-ranking government officials, including the prime minister and the Governor General. They also can be used for military, freight or medical transport.

The Guam incident wasn't the first time a Canadian VIP plane rolled into trouble.

According to the air force, the aircraft that usually shuttles the prime minister to and from world events suffered "significant" structural damage to its nose and right-engine cowling when it rolled into the back wall of a hangar in October 2019, knocking it out of commission.

Canada's aircraft woes getting international attention

This recent crash is just the latest blow to Canada's VIP air fleet.

Issues with the prime minister's aging plane grabbed international headlines after Justin Trudeau was delayed leaving the G20 in India due to maintenance issues.

Trudeau's plane was set to depart for Ottawa on Sunday but the plane was grounded when pre-flight checks revealed a part was faulty and needed to be replaced.

The Royal Canadian Air Force sent a CC-150 Polaris to India from CFB Trenton Sunday night to pick up Trudeau and the Canadian delegation. A Challenger jet was sent as a contingency.

In the meantime, a technician with a replacement part was flown over on a commercial flight and the plane was able to take off Tuesday morning.

For security reasons, the prime minister does not fly commercial. 

Pilots need training before flying new fleet: DND 

The Polaris fleet is more than 30 years old and its lifespan is set to end in 2027. Government officials say extending that further would be extremely difficult due to the age of the technology.

In July, the federal government purchased nine transport planes, some new and some used, to replace the existing fleet.

The first of those planes arrived in Ottawa on Aug. 31. So why wasn't it used on this trip?

According to National Defence officials, aircrew conversion training must be completed before the aircraft can enter service.

Canadian crews have been training to fly the new aircraft in the United Kingdom since January. It takes about three months of training on average to get a Polaris pilot ready to fly the new Airbus, National Defence officials said in a background briefing for reporters earlier this summer.

The 24 Sussex of the sky 

While the United States' Air Force One has appeared in films and on TV, Canada's VIP plane was once referred to as "Air Farce One" by former prime minister Jean Chrétien.

Like the debate over what to do with 24 Sussex, the official residence of Canada's prime ministers, conversations about replacing or spending money on the fleet have been dogged by controversy.

After attacking then prime minister Brian Mulroney for paying $56 million to convert the plane into a VIP transport, Chrétien never used the upgraded Can Force One during his time in office. He nicknamed it the flying "Taj Mahal."

Chrétien tried, and failed, to sell the aircraft. Eventually, the plane's cabin was downgraded and used by his successor Paul Martin.

Former prime minister Stephen Harper was criticized for spending $50,000 to paint the grey plane red, white and blue, The NDP opposition said the paint job was a flying advertisement for the Conservative Party. NDP MP Pat Martin accusing Harper of playing "Pimp My Ride" with the official aircraft.

Trudeau himself has had a rough ride with maintenance issues. 

A 2016 trip was cut short due to a flap issue. Trudeau was on his way to sign the Canada-Europe free trade deal in Belgium when the aircraft was forced to return to Ottawa after half an hour in the air.

Another trip to India, this one in 2018, was delayed because of a mechanical issue during a refuelling stop in Rome.