Canadian air force jet grounded after 'possible bird strike' at U.S. airshow
The Canadian military is investigating after a "possible bird strike" grounded a CF-18 demonstration jet during an airshow Wednesday.
The pilot was uninjured in the incident at the Wild Wednesday Air Show in Ypsilanti, Mich., outside of Detroit.
Maj. Trevor Reid, a spokesperson for 1 Canadian Air Division, said the aerobatic performance "was cut short due to a possible bird strike," but said investigators are still examining the plane to determine what happened.
"The pilot experienced something, which per his safety checklist caused him to return, in accordance with his standard operating procedures, to the airfield," Reid said, confirming the issue arose with at least one of the aircraft's engines.
"I'm not going to speculate as to what exactly it was the pilot experienced. That's all part of the inspection part of the investigation at the moment," he added.
"We have a very professional team of technicians who know the CF-18 very well and we have high confidence they will be able to determine the fault."
The demonstration team is scheduled to perform at Canadian Forces Base Borden in Ontario on June 18 and 19.
The spokesperson said it is "far too early to say" whether those performances will be cancelled or rescheduled due to the issue with the aircraft.
"There is a second jet that the CF-18 Demo Team has in case of technical issues with the primary aircraft," he added.
A statement on the team's Twitter account expressed regret at having to cut the Michigan performance short, but noted "safety is our first priority."
The incident occurred just over two years since a bird strike was blamed for the fatal crash of a Snowbird jet near Kamloops, B.C.
Public affairs officer Capt. Jenn Casey was killed on May 17, 2020 after a small bird was sucked into the engine of her CT-114 Tutor aircraft shortly after takeoff.
The CF-18 demonstration team showcases Canada's twin-engine CF-18 Hornet fighter jets during aerobatic performances and flypasts in Canada and the U.S.
Its team members are divided between 3 Wing Bagotville in Quebec and 4 Wing Cold Lake in Alberta.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada's most wanted fugitive arrested in P.E.I. in connection with Toronto homicide
A suspect in a fatal shooting in Toronto’s east end last summer has been arrested in Charlottetown, just one week after he topped a list of Canada’s most wanted fugitives.
BREAKING Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
Concerns about plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall plexiglass barriers.
OPP officer said 'someone's going to get hurt' before wrong-way Hwy. 401 crash
As multiple Durham police cruisers were chasing a robbery suspect on the wrong side of Highway 401 Monday night, an Ontario Provincial Police officer shared his concerns, telling a dispatcher, "Someone's going to get hurt."
Poilievre unrepentant over calling Trudeau 'wacko' as his MPs say Speaker should resign
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Toddler of Phoenix first responder dies after bounce house goes airborne
A two-year-old child died after a strong gust of wind sent the bounce house he was in airborne and into a neighbouring lot in central Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.
Plane overshoots runway at airport in St. John's, N.L., no injuries reported
Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada are headed to St. John's, N.L., after a plane overshot a runway at the city's airport this afternoon.
A teen was found buried in a basement in New York. An engraved ring helped police learn her identity two decades later
For more than two decades, the unknown victim was nicknamed "Midtown Jane Doe" because she was found in the Hell's Kitchen neighbourhood of New York City. But this week, investigators finally revealed her identity.