OTTAWA—A member of the Canadian air force’s acrobatic Snowbirds team was killed Sunday and a pilot injured after a plane crashed in western Canada while performing in support of front-line health-care workers and others trying to contain the spread of the new coronavirus.
The crash occurred near Kamloops, British Columbia, about 220 miles northeast of Vancouver, as part of a mission the air force called Operation Inspiration. Launched in early May, the mission involved members of the Snowbirds team conducting flyovers in communities across the country to acknowledge the work by doctors, nurses, grocery store clerks and drugstore employees during the pandemic.
In a statement late Sunday, Canada’s defense department said Captain Jennifer Casey, the Snowbirds’ public-affairs officer, is dead. She joined Canada’s armed forces in 2014. Captain Richard MacDougall, the pilot of the aircraft, sustained serious injuries and is being treated in hospital. His injuries are not believed to be life threatening.
Video obtained by a Kamloops radio station shows two CT-114 Tutor aircraft taking off on a cloudy Sunday around 11:40 a.m. local time. Shortly after take off, one of the planes veered upward before suddenly nosediving.
Snowbird pilot Joel Wilson walks with a police office past the crash site of one of his team’s planes in Kamloops, Canada, on May 17.
Photo: Jonathan Hayward/Associated Press“Operation Inspiration was intended to lift the spirit of Canadians at this difficult time,” said Canadian Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan in a statement. “I know that all Canadians grieve this tragic loss.”
The Defense Department said the flyovers tied to Operation Inspiration have been suspended until further notice, as has the Snowbirds’ fleet.
The City of Kamloops, in a press release, said the plane hit a house, causing a fire. Authorities are unaware of any major injuries on the ground.
“This accident shakes us to its core,” said Ken Christian, the mayor of Kamloops.
The predominantly red-and-white aircraft that make up the Snowbirds team tend to perform in roughly 60 to 65 air shows across the country and globally each year. A number of scheduled U.S. performances in 2020 have been canceled.
This is the second fatal crash in recent weeks involving a Canadian military aircraft. All six service members aboard a helicopter were killed after crashing off the coast of Greece in late April while conducting a training exercise as part of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization deterrence mission in the Mediterranean and Black seas.
Write to Paul Vieira at paul.vieira@wsj.com
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