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WEDNESDAY, March 31, 2021
www.kamloopsthisweek.com
LOCAL NEWS
Report: Bird strike caused Snowbirds crash This RCAF image shows a bird next to the Snowbirds jet piloted by Capt. Richard MacDougall and carrying Capt. Jenn Casey as they took off from Kamloops Airport on May 17, 2020. The jet crashed seconds later, killing Casey and injuring MacDougall.
KAMLOOPS THIS WEEK
The Royal Canadian Air Force has confirmed the crash of a Snowbirds jet in Kamloops last year was due to a bird strike. The CT-114 Tutor aircraft crashed into a house in Brocklehurst shortly after takeoff from Kamloops Airport on May 17, 2002, with Capt. Jenn Casey dying in the crash and pilot Capt. Richard MacDougall suffering injuries. The investigation found that ingestion of a single, small bird into the engine of the aircraft following take-off resulted in a compressor stall and a loss of thrust. Upon loss of power, the pilot initiated a climb straight ahead and then a turn back toward the airport. During this manoeuvre, the aircraft entered into an aerodynamic stall and the pilot gave the order to abandon the aircraft. The report stated MacDougall and Casey ejected from the aircraft at low altitude and in conditions that were outside safe ejection seat
operation parameters. Neither the pilot nor the passenger had the requisite time for their parachutes to function as designed. The report says that, following takeoff, a loud, impact-like sound was heard by MacDougall and Casey and the aircraft then experienced a loss of thrust. MacDougall initiated a climb straight ahead, then elected to carry out a left-hand turn back $140 toward the airport.
a directive be published which outlines the aircrew’s priority where an emergency during the takeoff or landing phase occurs and has the potential to result in an ejection near or over a populated area. The investigation also recommends further training on enginerelated emergencies be practised in The manoeuvre resulted in an the takeoff/low-level environment. aerodynamic stall halfway through It is also recommended that the the turn before he gave the order to practice of storing items between abandon the aircraft. the ejection seat and the airframe DNA evidence collected from wall cease immediately. the engine’s internal components Finally, further research is confirmed the ingestion of a bird recommended into the potential as witnessed from video evidence; options that would stabilize the however, the damage it caused was CT114 ejection seat from any teninsufficient to cause a catastrophic dency to pitch, roll or yaw immefailure. Rather, it resulted in a comdiately following its departure from pressor stall that was never cleared. the ejection seat rails. million dollar development The investigation recommends “Snowbird 11’s power loss could
not have come at a worse time — low altitude, low airspeed, proximity to another aircraft and in the vicinity of a built-up area,” said Col. John Alexander, director of flight safety with the Royal Canadian Air Force. Brigadier-General Denis O’Reilly, Commander 2 Canadian Air Division of the Royal Canadian Air Force, said the air force prides itself on operational flight safety. “However, we recognize the inherent risk with military flying, despite the tireless work of our team of professionals to safely operate and maintain our aircraft. “In emergency situations, pilots must make split-second decisions after quickly processing a lot of information, while at the same time dealing with high levels of stress, g-forces and other challenging environmental factors in the cockpit. We are dedicated to learning from this accident and welcome the flight safety recommendations to minimize the chance of a repeat occurrence.”
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