The Royal Canadian Air Force says the operational pause on the Snowbirds fleet has been lifted.
The planes have been grounded at Kamloops Airport since a crash over the May long weekend, which resulted in the death of Capt. Jenn Casey, the Snowbirds Public Affairs Officer.
“The risk analysis for the CT-114 Tutor fleet undertaken by the airworthiness authorities and their teams of experts was detailed and thorough,” said Brigadier-General Denis O’Reilly, Commander 2 Canadian Air Division. “I have the utmost confidence in their work, and the mitigation measures developed. These measures will enable the fleet to return to flying operations.”
Back in June, a preliminary report suggested a suspected a bird strike as the cause of the crash that also sent the pilot Capt. Richard MacDougall to hospital.
O’Reilly says a ‘thorough technical and operational risk analysis’ was done during the operational pause that outlined a series of risk mitigation measures. The analysis was done as the Kamloops crash was the second incident involving the CT-114 Tutor jets in eight months, after a crash in Georgia on October 13, 2019.
There are some ‘restrictions on flying operations’ being put in place, and maintenance will be increased on the Tutor jets, with more measures possible once the Directorate of Flight Safety investigation wraps up.
The Snowbirds are now expected to return to Moose Jaw from Kamloops in the next two weeks, as the focus now shifts on gradually returning to flying operations.
“The Snowbirds continue to mourn the loss of Captain Jennifer Casey. The best way we can honour her is to get back into operations in a safe and deliberate manner,” added Lieutenant-Colonel Denis Bandet, Commanding Officer 431 Air Demonstration Squadron.
“While we are saddened that the 2020 air demonstration season is officially cancelled, and that we will not be completing Operation Inspiration, the team is looking forward to getting back in the air and starting to train for next year’s season.”
Operation Inspiration was the brainchild of Capt. Casey, and the city of Kamloops is working on a permanent memorial at the new Observation Park which will be part of the Tranquille Gateway project.
The Snowbirds are planning to fly their aircraft back from Kamloops to Moose Jaw over the coming weeks (date TBC). The specific takeoff timings are not known at this time but will be communicated to the public in advance.
— Royal Canadian Air Force (@RCAF_ARC) August 24, 2020
