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Snowbirds Death Difficult For All Canadians

Dryden, ON, Canada / CKDR
Tara Clow
May 19, 2020 | 5:37 AM
Snowbirds Death Difficult For All Canadians


A devastating loss, that’s how Canadian Forces Lieutenant-Colonel Mike French describes the death of Captain Jennifer Casey.

The Public Affairs Officer was killed when a Canadian Forces Snowbird went down in Kamloops, British Columbia on Sunday.

“She(Casey) absolutely loved this job, and she was one of the reasons Operation Inspiration was so well received by the public. Her loss is a serious blow, not only to our team, but to the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Canadian Armed Forces as a whole. She was the quintessential, public affairs officer. A tireless and energetic officer with a social media network of contacts from her previous career as a broadcaster. She had a savvy with social media that endeared her to the public,” French says.

Captain Richard MacDougall of Dieppe, New Brunswick, also suffered non-life threatening injuries in the crash.

French says an investigation into the crash is underway, but it could take up to a year to complete.

“At this time, the precise circumstances leading up to the crash are not known. The crash site has been secured by local law enforcement and an immediate flight safety response is being coordinated. An Investigator Team from the Director of Flight Safety in Ottawa will arrive in Kamloops and conduct a flight safety investigation to determine the cause of the accident,” French says.

He adds the investigation team will look at things including human factors, weather, and maintenance of the jet, “The Flight Safety team will interview people and review video and they will do a full investigation to find out what happened with the aim of preventing this from happening again in the future.”

French says safety is always a concern for the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Snowbirds team.

“That is why we are going through this investigation to find out exactly what happened before we take any further steps,” French adds.

During a news conference, the Lieutenant-Colonel also thanked the first responders and the brave response of the public who assisted after the crash.

The CT-114 Tutor fleet has been grounded as an investigation is ongoing. Operation INSPIRATION has also been delayed indefinitely.