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
'Most of the city is evacuating': Gridlock on Alberta highway after evacuation order in Fort McMurray
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
Sask. police seize 1.5M pieces of evidence, lay 60 more charges in child exploitation case
Saskatchewan RCMP have revealed that a historic sexual assault investigation has led to the discovery of alleged crimes against children dating back to 2005.
'Inappropriate' behaviour shuts down Dublin to New York City portal
Less than a week after two public sculptures featuring a livestream between Dublin, Ireland, and New York City debuted, 'inappropriate behaviour' in real-time interactions between people in the two cities has prompted a temporary shutdown.
Bouchard scores late to lift Oilers over Canucks, tie series
After a final frame that saw the visiting Vancouver Canucks claw their way back and tie the game late, a slap shot from the point by Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard with 38 seconds left (until what seemed like certain overtime) iced the 3-2 victory for Edmonton to knot the series.
Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker rails against Pride month, working women in commencement speech
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker railed against Pride month, working women, President Biden's leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and abortion during a commencement address at Benedictine College last weekend.
King Charles III unveils his first official portrait since his coronation
King Charles III has unveiled the first portrait of the monarch completed since he assumed the throne, a vivid image that depicts him in the bright red uniform of the Welsh Guards against a background of similar hues.
Full List Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Alberta announces the 4 health agencies that will replace AHS later this year
The province has released more information on its plan to break up Alberta Health Services and replace it with four sector-based health agencies.
Biden administration moving ahead on US$1 billion arms package for Israel, AP sources say
The Biden administration has told key lawmakers it is sending a new package of more than US$1 billion in arms and ammunition to Israel, two congressional aides said Tuesday.