The pilot of a Canadair CT-114 Tutor assigned to the Canadian Forces’ Snowbirds display team was killed when his aircraft crashed during a pre-show practice in the USA late last week.
Capt Shawn McCaughey died when Snowbird 2 crashed on 18 May ahead of a planned weekend display at Malmstrom AFB in Montana. The cause of the accident has yet to be determined, and a Canadian Forces flight safety investigation has been launched following the mishap.
Flying his second season with the Snowbirds, McCaughey was the first pilot to join the team directly from the Bombardier-run NATO Flying Training in Canada scheme, where he flew the Raytheon T-6 Harvard II (CT-156) and BAE Systems Hawk 115 (CT-155) before serving a tour instructing on the former type.
Based at Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, the Snowbirds have operated the Tutor since 1971. Ottawa has been assessing options to replace the ageing aircraft, with a fleet of secondhand Hawks among the proposals revealed to date.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
