From CF Snowbirds Twitter
A Canadian Forces Snowbirds aircraft has crashed in the vicinity of Kamloops, BC. Our priority at this time is determining the status of our personnel and supporting emergency personnel. When appropriate, more information will be made available.
From City News 1130 – link to story
KAMLOOPS — A Canadian Forces Snowbirds plane has crashed near Kamloops.
Some media reports suggest at least one person made it out of the crash alive. However, there are suggestions there may have been another person on board. Nothing has been confirmed.
“This is a developing situation,” an emailed statement from the Armed Forces reads. “Our number one priority at this time is determining the status of our personnel, the community and supporting emergency personnel. When appropriate, more information will be made available.”
The Kamloops Airport confirmed emergency crews were responding to the crash.
Meanwhile, witnesses said they saw a pilot eject from the plane as it was going down. Videos posted to Twitter by people watching the Snowbirds fly-over show the moment the plane started descending. It shows two Snowbirds flying side-by-side before they separate. One of the planes makes a nosedive shortly after.
Other social media posts show what appears to be the moments after the crash, with some showing heavy smoke billowing from debris.
Operation Inspiration started in Nova Scotia earlier this month and features the team’s signature nine-jet formation. It followed a similar initiative south of the border, where the U.S. military’s own flight demonstration teams have been flying in honour of front-line workers and first responders.
The CF Snowbirds were conducting a cross-country flyover amid the COVID-19 pandemic, to show a united front and support for Canadians amid the health crisis.
The CF Snowbirds’ scheduled start was delayed because of rain and low visibility on Sunday. Mike Trafford lives near the airport and says he saw the Snowbird doing a barrel roll late this morning followed by a “spark, and the pilot eject and the plane basically just took a nose dive straight down.”
Trafford says it was raining earlier this morning, but cloudy at the time of the crash.
About an hour before the crash, a tweet from the Snowbirds’ official account mentioned low cloud through the mountain passes and how this was a safety concern