Canadian military says despite crash, Tutor jet is a safe aircraft
Published Friday October 10th, 2008
MOOSE JAW, Sask. - The safety of the Tutor jet used by the famous Snowbirds is once again in question after a deadly crash in Saskatchewan.
A pilot and military photographer were killed Thursday when their Tutor crashed near 15 Wing Moose Jaw. It's the second deadly crash in just over a year to involve the Tutor, but Col. Paul Keddy, the base commander, stands behind the use of the planes.
"Despite the age of the Tutor in other fleets in many parts of the world ... the Canadian Forces aircraft are the most well-maintained aircraft in the world," Keddy said Friday at a news conference at the base.
"They've served us over the years and continue to serve the air force and will do well into the future," he said.
The CT-114 Tutor jet was on what has been described as a routine mission went it crashed into a farmer's field south of the city of Moose Jaw. The Tutor was flying behind a CT-155 Hawk, CT-156 Harvard II and another Tutor on Thursday so the military photographer could take pictures of all three aircraft.
The three aircraft returned safely to the ground.
Keddy said the Tutor that crashed didn't touch any other aircraft during the training flight.
The two men were identified Friday as Capt. Bryan "Mav" Mitchell, 46, the pilot, and Sgt. Charles "Chuck" Senecal, 49, a veteran military photographer.
"I've known both for a while, in fact, I met Mav sometime ago when he was flying in the tactical aviation community," said Keddy.
Mitchell had been selected by the Snowbirds to fly during the next show season in what Keddy said was a dream come true. The colonel said Senecal, with about 30 years experience in the military, was a man who could be counted on.
"He was always sort of the sunshine of the headquarters here, had a lot to give. We have a lot to lose with his departure," he said.
There was no word Friday on funeral details.
The Snowbirds show team, which is scheduled to perform in the U.S. this weekend, cancelled Friday's practice. It has not yet been determined whether the show will go ahead.
Flying operations have been suspended at the base in the wake of the crash, even though Keddy said there is no reason to believe what caused the crash is a problem that affects the whole Tutor fleet.
"This is an operational pause which will permit the investigation team to rule out technical factors that have the potential to further impact the operations here in Moose Jaw," said Keddy.
"The next couple of days they'll be focusing, in terms of the investigation, out in the field. They'll have a look at all of the components."
There have been questions about whether the 1960s-vintage Tutor aircraft should be retired. Four years ago, National Defence was strongly urged to quickly replace the jets.
In August 2005, a Tutor crashed due to "catastrophic engine failure." The pilot, Capt. Andy Mackay, walked away after ejecting from his plane.
Last May, Capt. Shawn McCaughey died after the seatbelt in his Tutor came unbuckled during a roll, causing him to fall out of his seat and lose control of the jet.
Keddy said modifications have been made to the Tutors, particularly to the lap belt, which was determined to be the cause of the last deadly crash. He wouldn't speculate on the cause of Thursday's crash.
"Investigations are challenging, it's a challenging process," said Keddy.
"History has indicated to us that within the first 30 to 60 days we'll get the first preliminary findings as to what happened with the aircraft, particularly under tragic circumstances such as this. However, it could go onto several months to ensure that all bases are covered."
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