Snowbirds grounded after crash
Two upcoming aerial perfomances of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds have been cancelled while investigators probe why one of the jets crashed this week.
Scheduled performances in St. Catharines on Aug. 27 and 28, and in Brantford Ont. on Aug. 31 are cancelled.
Snowbird team leader Maj. Ian McLean said no decision has yet been made as to whether the Snowbirds would perform at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto during the Labour Day weekend Sept. 3, 4 and 5.
He said investigators probing Wednesday's crash need time to complete their work before a decision is made.
"Once we've given them (investigators) some time to try to make a determination, we'll be in a better position to judge whether or not we will perform at the Toronto International Air Show."
A military flight safety team is exploring why the demonstration jet crashed on its way to an airshow Wednesday in Thunder Bay, in northwestern Ontario.
The plane exploded in a rural field, moments after the pilot -- 39-year-old Capt. Andrew Mackay of Orleans, Ont. -- ejected safely. Mackay was treated in hospital and released.
Mackay, in his fourth year with the Snowbirds, has more than 4,800 hours of military flying experience.
Local resident Dennis Trevisanutto Jr., who was standing on the deck of his home when he saw the crash, said he rescued the pilot after he saw the parachute descending. "I looked out and I could see him parachuting down into the woods. So I thought I'd take a ride over there and see if I could find him or pick him up... When I first saw him I asked if he was OK, and he said yes and said his engines failed."
Trevisanutto rode in the emergency vehicle with the pilot to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
The Snowbirds fly Canadair CT-114 Tutors, which are more than 30 years old. The last one came off the assembly line in 1966 -- before most of the pilots were born. However, the pilots have defended the program, saying the aircraft are safe and the shows they put on are part of the Canadian cultural fabric.
This was the second crash of a Snowbird jet in less than a year.
On Dec. 10, 2004, two Snowbirds jets crashed in mid-air during a practice near Mossbank, Sask. One pilot, Capt. Miles Selby, 31, was killed, and the other, Capt. Chuck Mallett, sustained minor injuries.
Six Snowbird pilots have died since 1972, one of them in a car crash.
This is the Snowbirds' 35th season. They dedicated their performances this year to Captain Selby.