A plane from Canada’s Snowbirds flying across the sky to salute public efforts against the coronavirus crashed on Sunday in British Columbia during a performance. The Snowbirds are a military acrobatics squadron based in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.
According to local media, the plane crashed into the front yard of a house shortly after taking off from Kamloops Airport late Sunday morning along with one other plane. The flight was part of Operation Inspiration, which is a nationwide mission aimed at saluting first responders and other essential workers.
Canadian Air Force Pilot Rescued After Plane Crashes During COVID Tribute
Earlier, provincial Health Minister Adrian Dix tweeted that one person had been taken to hospital. Now it is confirmed that the Canadian air force pilot is dead. The Royal Canadian Air Force has also said in a statement that another pilot was seriously injured in the incident that occurred northeast of Vancouver.
“The #RCAF has been made aware that a Canadian Forces Snowbirds aircraft crashed in the vicinity of Kamloops, BC,” the Royal Canadian Air Force tweeted, without giving further details.
Witnesses said the pilot managed to eject from the plane with a parachute before the crash. The pilot landed on the roof of a house and appeared to have suffered back and neck injuries.
Public broadcaster the CBC quoted a witness, Nolyn Mcleod, as saying the plane passed about three meters (yards) over his roof.
“We saw the pilot eject like maybe two storeys high, and then the plane with no pilot in it went right between me and my neighbor’s house,” before finally hitting the neighbor’s bedroom window, he said.
“It was complete chaos. People were yelling and screaming. We thought we were getting bombed or something. That’s how hectic it was.”
