One member of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds team is dead after a Snowbirds jet crashed and burst into flames in the front yard of a house in Kamloops, B.C., on Sunday.
A witness captured the moments before a Canadian Forces Snowbirds jet crashed in Kamloops, B.C. 0:26
One member of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds team is dead after a Snowbirds jet crashed and burst into flames in the front yard of a house in Kamloops, B.C., on Sunday.
Another member sustained serious injuries in the crash, the Department of National Defence said in a statement Sunday afternoon, adding that immediate family members were notified.
Sources close to the Snowbirds tell CBC News the victim is Capt. Jenn Casey, a public affairs officer with the Snowbirds.
Casey is from Halifax and joined the Canada’s Armed Forces in 2014 after several years working as a journalist, according to her biography on the RCAF website.
The crash happened before noon PT, 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.
Video shows two puffs of black smoke coming from the plane and appears to show at least one person ejecting from the jet shortly before it hit the ground in a residential area near Glenview Avenue and Schreiner Street.
It is with heavy hearts that we announce that one member of the CF Snowbirds team has died and one has sustained serious injuries. We can confirm that we have contacted all primary family members of those involved. More information will be communicated in the near future.
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.
“This accident today really shakes us to our core, but we will do our best to support the military and the men and women in service,” Kamloops Mayor Ken Christian said during a media briefing Sunday afternoon.
“This was a tragic scene … not something that you would expect in the middle of May on a long weekend in Kamloops.”
Emergency crews from the Kamloops Airport initially responded to the incident. The military is sending an investigation team to Kamloops, and the Snowbirds will remain grounded for now, Christian said.
Kamloops RCMP are asking the public to avoid the area. They’re asking anyone who may have captured the crash on video to contact them.
In a tweet Sunday afternoon, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his thoughts are with the Royal Canadian Air Force.
I have been in touch with @HarjitSajjan about the @CFSnowbirds crash in Kamloops, BC. My thoughts are with the brave members of the @RCAF_ARC. The CAF will provide an update as soon as possible.
Witness saw parachute land on h