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2020 Kamloops Snowbirds crash

17 May 2020 · Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada

Canadair CT-114 Tutor · Bird strike

From Kamloops John Moose Fulton Field Regional Airport (YKA) to Comox Valley International Airport / CFB Comox (YQQ)

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Event

Event typeAccident: someone killed or seriously injured, or the aircraft substantially damaged (NTSB definition). Incident: an occurrence that affected or could have affected safety, short of that. Glossary
Accident
Event fatalities
1 · all aircraft and ground
Ground fatalities
Unknown
Occupants
2
Survivors
1
InjuriesFatal: death within 30 days. Serious: over 48 hours in hospital within a week, most broken bones, severe bleeding, nerve or organ damage, or serious burns. Minor: anything less. Glossary
1
OperationWhat kind of flying it was, grouped by the rules it flew under: airline (US Part 121), air taxi and commuter (Part 135), general aviation (Part 91 and similar), military or government. Glossary
Military

Canadair CT-114 Tutor

Aircraft type
Canadair CT-114
Category
Airplane · from aircraft type
RegistrationThe aircraft's tail number, such as N12345 or G-ABCD. Registrations are reissued, so the same one years apart can be a different aircraft. Glossary
114161
Operator
Snowbirds
Onboard fatalities
1
Route
From Kamloops John Moose Fulton Field Regional Airport (YKA)To Comox Valley International Airport / CFB Comox (YQQ)

Cause areas

  • Aircraft › Aircraft power plant
  • Environmental issues › Physical environment

From the investigation findings the Wikipedia article reports, sorted into the NTSB's cause areas with AI assistance.

Approximate · Estimated position: Kamloops, the place the Wikipedia article names. Not the accident site.

From the Wikipedia article

On May 17, 2020, a Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds plane crashed in Kamloops, British Columbia. One person, Captain Jennifer Casey, was killed, and the pilot was seriously injured after ejecting.

Background

The Snowbirds had been flying over many Canadian cities as part of "Operation Inspiration", a plan to raise the country's morale due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Canadair CT-114 Tutor jets used by the Snowbirds were built from 1964 to 1967 and have been in service since. The aircraft that crashed was 57 years old.

Investigation and cause

Cause

After a nearly year-long investigation, it was concluded that an engine stall, caused by a bird strike was responsible for the crash. Both of the occupants attempted to eject, but the report showed that Capt. Casey's ejection seat did not function properly. Since the crash happened shortly after takeoff, the plane was still at a low altitude and the pilot did not have time to regain control.

The report gave several recommendations, including more extensive training for pilots when flying near residential areas, installing flight recorders that can survive a crash, and making the ejection system more stable.

Text from the Wikipedia article “2020 Kamloops Snowbirds crash” (revision 1369542036, retrieved 2026-09-18) by its authors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Extracted as plain text: references, tables, images and some sections are left out. Read the article

Sources

Wikipedia article: 2020 Kamloops Snowbirds crash
Article
2020 Kamloops Snowbirds crash
Revision
1369542036 · 2026-08-15 · retrieved 2026-09-18
Wikidata
Q110639967
Licence
Text CC BY-SA 4.0, by the article's authors; Wikidata CC0; town positions GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Where each value comes from
Record
Wikipedia article "2020 Kamloops Snowbirds crash" (page 69829184, revision 1369542036)
Date
Wikipedia infobox: date
Place and country
Wikipedia infobox: site
Map position
place the Wikipedia infobox site links (Wikidata coordinates)
Aircraft, operator and route
Wikipedia infobox: aircraft type, registration, operator, origin and destination; route airports from the linked airport articles' Wikidata codes (OurAirports)
Operation
operator is an armed force according to Wikidata
Fatalities
Wikipedia infobox: total_fatalities
Ground fatalities
not stated in the Wikipedia infobox
Summary
Wikipedia infobox: summary
Source notes (1)
  • Wikipedia · Facts from the Wikipedia article's infobox and coordinates, not checked against an investigation report. Independent review pending.