Canadian Jet Crashes During a Flyover for COVID-19 Workers

Canadian forces snowbird crashes in Kamloops, British Columbia

A Canadian Air Force jet crashed and burst into flames in the front yard of a house in Kamloops, B.C., on Sunday.

The red and silver jet took off alongside another and did a wide turn once in flight, according to a video posted on Twitter. Shortly after, the plane could be seen heading downward.

The crash happened before noon, shortly after the jet took off from the Kamloops Airport. 

Witnesses say it was following another jet when it appeared to veer upward and circle the tarmac before going into a nosedive.

It appeared that two people ejected from the plane in a plume of dark smoke before the aircraft nose-dived into a house in the Brocklehurst neighbourhood of Kamloops, which is about 220 miles northeast of Vancouver. 

The Snowbirds aerobatics team was scheduled to do a flyover of the Okanagan area Sunday as part of Operation Inspiration, a salute to Canadians and front-line workers during the COVID-19 pandemic that started earlier this month in Nova Scotia. 

As of Sunday evening, the authorities had not confirmed if there were any deaths or injuries.

“Our priority at this time is determining the status of our personnel and supporting emergency personnel,” the Royal Canadian Air Force said on Twitter.

Emergency workers assisted a Snowbirds pilot who landed on the roof of a house after ejecting from his plane.Credit...Brendan Kergin/Castanet Kamloops, via The Canadian Press and Associated Press

One person was taken to a hospital, Adrian Dix, British Columbia’s minister of health, said onTwitter.

“We live six or seven miles away from the crash and we heard a really loud boom,” Mr Hewlett said. “You could see the smoke so we decided to walk toward it. The smell was really strong. You could start to smell the burning fuel.”

Photos shared on Twitter showed what appeared to be a parachute on the roof of a house.

The Transportation Safety Board said it is offering assistance to the Canadian Forces with its investigation into the crash. The jets had arrived in Kamloops on Saturday after flyovers in Alberta. 

Crash history

Snowbirds crash: A timeline of incidents involving Canada's aerobatic flying team.

The Snowbirds have performed at air shows across Canada and the U.S. for decades and are considered a key tool for raising awareness recruiting for the air force.

Eleven aircraft are used during shows, with nine flying and two kept as spares.

The air force obtained its Tutor jets 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.