By Canadian Press

‘Good questions’ being asked about safety of Snowbirds: Trudeau

May 19, 2020 | 10:54 AM

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says there are “very good questions” being asked about the safety of the Snowbirds, but that the government will wait for an investigation before making any decisions on next steps for the military’s aerobatic team.

The prime minister’s comments today followed Sunday’s deadly crash in Kamloops, B.C., when one of the Snowbirds’ Tutor jets crashed into a residential neighbourhood shortly after takeoff.

Military public-affairs officer Capt. Jennifer Casey was killed while Capt. Rich MacDougall, who was piloting the aircraft, sustained serious but non-life threatening injuries.

The crash was the second for the Snowbirds since October, which has raised questions about whether the two incidents are related to the aerobatic team’s 57-year-old Tutor planes.

Trudeau says the government is not jumping to any conclusions but will instead allow the Royal Canadian Air Force to conduct a “proper” investigation.

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Snowbirds commander Lt.-Col. Mike French on Monday said while the Tutor jets may be old, they are regularly torn down and rebuilt like new and undergo regular maintenance to ensure they are safe.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 19, 2020.

The Canadian Press