Bird strike might have caused Snowbird crash, early investigation finds
Posted June 1, 2020 12:22 pm.
Last Updated June 1, 2020 12:54 pm.
The Royal Canadian Air Force says it’s focusing on a bird strike as the reason a Snowbird plane crashed in British Columbia last month.
A preliminary investigation report posted today says a close look at video footage of the plane just before the crash showed a bird very close to the plane’s right engine intake “during the critical phase of take-off.”
A single bird (red circle) can be seen near the right engine intake during takeoff. Department of National Defence.
The crash near Kamloops killed air force Capt. Jenn Casey, a public-affairs officer riding as a passenger, and seriously injured the pilot.
Though the plane crashed in a populated area, nobody on the ground was badly injured.
Wreckage from the Snowbird crash. Department of National Defence.
The Snowbirds were on a cross-country tour at the time of the crash, performing over cities and towns to try to raise morale a little amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The air force’s report says the investigation will continue to probe the possibility of a bird strike and whether the Tutor jet’s escape devices worked properly.
