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RCMP and fire crews on scene of crash Snowbird Jet - CFJC

UPDATE – Canadian Forces Snowbird jet crashes in Kamloops residential area

May 17, 2020 | 4:36 PM

KAMLOOPS, B.C.: KAMLOOPS — A Canadian Forces Snowbird jet has crashed into the a residential area in Kamloops on Sunday, May 17. The jet had just taken off from the Kamloops airport around 11:40 am.

City of Kamloops officials say Kamloops Fire Rescue (KFR) crews arrived on scene in minutes and were joined by the Kamloops Airport “crash truck”. KFR is working with several other agencies including the RCMP, BC Ambulance, airport authorities, and Military representatives.

Video and images of the crash were distributed on multiple social media platforms. Video appears to show two people ejecting from the jet as it tumbled to the ground. Witnesses say a person was pulled from the roof of a home on a stretcher and placed into an ambulance.

The Canadian Forces Snowbirds posted the following on their website: “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.”

Chelsy Gyger was across the street from the crash. She says she heard the jet impacting the ground and ran outside to see the wreckage in the yard of a neighbouring house. “We went running across the street and the plane and the house was on fire,” said Gyger. Debris from the crash was thrown into a nearby house. “Oh God, it was just chaos,” she added. At least one home was burned as a result of the crash. It is not known whether anyone on the ground was injured in the crash.

Zion Chong witnessed the crash from the Kamloops Airport.

“The planes just lifted up and they were flying low and then they started pulling up after they gained some altitude. One plane started to turn left at a sharp angle and then started dropping (like a stunt) nose down. After dropping for a second, I saw a small explosion and saw the pilot eject then the plane just drop and exploded.”

The Snowbirds aerobatics team was scheduled to make a trip from Kamloops to Vernon today as part of Operation Inspiration during the COVID-19 pandemic. Operation Inspiration started in Nova Scotia earlier this month and features the team’s signature nine-jet formation. It was aimed at boosting morale as Canadians continue to struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic. The scheduled start of Sunday’s activities was delayed by rain and low visibility. Operation Inspiration 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.

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