Update: The team members involved in the crash have been officially identified.
Original Post: The Canadian Forces Snowbirds have confirmed that one team member has died and another is seriously injured following a crash in Kamloops, British Columbia earlier today.
As we reported earlier, the aircraft was one of two jets that took off from Kamloops shortly before noon. According to video from the scene, it climbed suddenly and appeared to spin before both occupants – one a pilot and the other a non-pilot member of the team, ejected.
Photos from the scene showed one crew member – reported to be the pilot – being rescued from the rooftop of a house near the crash site. He has reportedly been taken to the hospital with serious injuries but thankfully they are not considered life-threatening.
The aircraft impacted the front yard of a house and started a fire, but thankfully no one on the ground was injured.
The team has been flying over communities across Canada during Operation Inspiration. The flyovers are to honor first responders and essential workers, and to lift the spirits of Canadians in the face of the COVID-19/coronavirus pandemic.
According to the teams schedule, they were originally planning to depart from Kamloops at 10:00am, flying over towns on their way to Kelowna. This plan was eventually canceled due to clouds in the mountain passes, and the team posted that they would instead transit to Comox for their next set of flyovers. Weather is unlikely to have had any impact on the incident.
More information will be released soon. In the mean time you can follow along with any further developments on our forums.
Alicia vanderwiel
So sorry to hear of this news such a sad turn of events and they were trying to cheer the people up just a shame all the way around !