Nicholas Johansen, Castanet Media, Kamloops
A Kamloops resident snapped a few photos of the ill-fated Snowbirds plane and its two occupants just moments before it crashed into the Brocklehurst neighbourhood, killing one of those onboard.
Just before noon Sunday, two Snowbirds jets took off from the Kamloops airport, en route to Comox as part of their Operation Inspiration tour. The military aerial acrobatics team had been touring the country for the first half of May, as a "salute to Canadians doing their part to fight the spread of COVID-19."
The team had put on a show over top of Kamloops Saturday, but on Sunday, one of the planes crashed into a Glenview Avenue home just seconds after taking off. Cpt. Jennifer Casey, the Snowbirds' public relations officer, was killed in the crash, while the plane's pilot was taken to Royal Inlands Hospital with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.
Sunday morning, Amber Fill snapped several photos of the Snowbirds on the Kamloops Airport runway, as they prepared to take off.
In one of the photos, the tail number on one of the planes matches those found at the crash scene. The occupants of the aircraft were waving and smiling at the crowd that gathered at the airport to see them off.
“It was an awful thing to witness, but I thought I’d share that both of the crew in the jet were happy to fly and were waving at us onlookers as they began their journey to the runway,” Fill said.
Over the past two weeks, Operation Inspiration had spread joy to cities across Canada, and hundreds of people had taken to social media to share their photos and videos of the planes and cheer them on.
On Sunday, the crashed plane hit a populated suburban neighbourhood, hitting a home, but miraculously, no one on the ground was injured.
"The Snowbirds have been flying across the country to lift up Canadians during these difficult times," said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a statement Sunday. "Every day, they represent the very best of Canada and demonstrate excellence through incredible skill and dedication. Their flyovers across the country put a smile on the faces of Canadians everywhere and make us proud."
Minister of National Defence Harjit S. Sajjan called the Snowbirds a "source of joy" for Canadians "and an exhibition of the incredible feats that our people in uniform are capable of."
"Operation INSPIRATION was intended to lift the spirit of Canadians at this difficult time and the Snowbirds accomplished their mission," Sajjan continued. "I know that all Canadians grieve this tragic loss.”
The cause of the crash is still unknown, but a military investigation team will be investigating the crash.
