Bird Strike Possible Cause Of Tutor Crash

Bystanders' video footage may hold the key as why a Canadian Snowbirds Tutor jet crashed on May 17th in Kamloops.

The crash resulted in the death Captain Jennifer Casey and serious injuries to Captain Richard MacDougall. Both occupants of the aircraft managed to eject. The plane was destroyed upon impact in a residential neighbourhood.

Video footage taken by bystanders of the Snowbirds takeoff appears to show a bird near one of the plane's engines.

“A detailed analysis of video footage recovered for the investigation revealed one bird in very close proximity to the aircraft right engine intake (see red circle in picture above) during the critical phase of take-off,” the preliminary crash report read.

The investigation will now focus on the bird strike as well as the Tutor's ejection system.

The Toronto Star recently reported the Snowbird's Tutor jets were to receive an upgraded ejection system where a pilot could eject at zero feet and still manage to safely walk away as the seat would boost the occupant to a safe height before deploying the parachute.

The Department of National Defence would not answer the Toronto Star's questions if the upgraded ejection seats had been installed in the Tutors as planned.