A Canadian Snowbird acrobatic jet crashed into a residential area in Kamloops, British Columbia while doing a flyover. The incident left at least one person dead, and a crew member seriously injured.
Fire officials talk in a residential neighbourhood street in front of the tail wreckage from a Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds jet after a member of the exhibition team crashed shortly after takeoff in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada May 17, 2020.
The crash happened on Sunday morning, May 17, after the jet took off. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said they received reports of the crash at 11:42 a.m. local time.
A video by Facebook user Cory Pelton showed a pilot ejecting before the crash happened on Sunday.
The team's website said that the Snowbirds are currently on a tour as part of Oplan Inspiration "to salute Canadians doing their part to fight the spread of Covid-19."
Like the UK's Red Arrows or the US Blue Angels, Snowbirds perform acrobatic stunts for the public. They were supposed to fly in a nine-jet formation with white smoke trails across the country throughout the week, according to Business Insider.
The Royal Canadian Air Force announced via Twitter the sad news "that one member of the CF Snowbirds team has died and one has sustained serious injuries."
In a video posted on Twitter, two jets are seen ascending from what is believed to be the Kamloops Airport before one catches on fire. In a CBC News report, Annette Schonewille said that one plane continued to climb while the other one caught puffs of smoke and "a ball of fire."
A plane of the Canadian Air Force's Snowbirds aerobatic demonstration team is seen prior crashing in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada May 17, 2020, in this still image obtained from a social media video.
The witness also said it was quite strange as she heard no noise. She added that the plane did a cartwheel, but it fell out of the sky, "straight down, and then a burst of black, black smoke."
People ran outside after the jet hit the front garden of a home in Kamloops and attempted to put out the fire. "I just started running down the street . . . and there were a couple of residents that had their hoses out and they were trying to put the flames out because it hit a house," Kamloops resident Kenny Hinds told the Associated Press.
Hinds also said most of it landed in the front yard, but it seems a wing or something went through the roof. Photos published in Canadian media show a parachute on the roof of the house.
RCMP officers place a tarp over the roof of a house where a crew member of a Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds exhibition team which crashed shortly after takeoff, landed in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada May 17, 2020.
"This accident today 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 told the media during a briefing on Sunday afternoon. "This was a tragic scene," the Mayor added.
Kamloops Airport emergency team responded to the incident while the military is sending an investigation team to Kamloops. Christian also said the Snowbirds will "remain grounded" at this time.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted that 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. — Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) May 17, 2020
The city of Kamloops, which has a population of 90,000, is located around 200 miles northeast of Vancouver in the West Coast Canadian province. In October, a Snowbirds jet crashed into an area before an air show in the Atlanta State in the US after the pilot ejected.
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