Snowbird pilot dies in mid-air collision
CyberBry
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Snowbird pilot dies in mid-air collision
MARTIN O’HANLON
MOOSE JAW, Sask. (CP) - A pilot with the famed Snowbirds aerobatics team
died Thursday after his jet clipped wings with another during a practice
manoeuvre that required the planes to fly no more than two arm-lengths
apart.
Capt. Michael VandenBos, 29, originally from Whitby, Ont., managed to eject
before his Tutor jet slammed into a snow-dusted knoll near Mitchellton in
south-central Saskatchewan. But he died in hospital a short time later.
The pilot of the second plane managed to fly his jet safely to Canadian
Forces Base Moose Jaw, 35 kilometres north of the crash. Four other Tutor
jets in the formation were not involved in the accident and also returned to
base.
All that remained of the downed jet was a mangled mass of blackened metal
burned into the shallow hillside. Small pieces of the plane were scattered
around the crash site.
VandenBos’s orange parachute lay blowing in the icy wind about 20 metres
from the plane.
Sylvia Kolopenuk reached the site shortly after the crash.
"The plane is entirely burned," she said. "There’s one wing visible that has
red and white on it. It almost looks like he came straight down."
VandenBos was a former flying instructor with more than 500 hours in the air
as a teacher and 2,000 hours of flying experience. He was found an hour
after the crash and taken by military ambulance to a Moose Jaw hospital
where he was declared dead, said Lt.-Col. Ritchie Clements, acting wing
commander at the base.
The crash occurred while the pilots were "starting their workups for the new
season," said team commander Capt. Darryl Shyiak, adding that half of the
11-member team was named just six weeks ago.
Their first assignment was a flypast at the Grey Cup game in Winnipeg on
Nov. 22.
VandenBos is the third Snowbirds pilot to be killed since 1989. This was his
second year with the team.
His parents, Betty and Jasper VandenBos of Whitby, declined comment Thursday
except to express their sadness at the death of their son, who was engaged
to be married.
Two years ago, VandenBos was involved in a close call while on a regular
training mission as an instructor pilot.
He and Capt. Dave Schmidt, 28, were forced to land their Tutor jet at an
abandoned air strip just outside Mossbank, in southern Saskatchewan, after
their aircraft’s engine failed.
A nine-member Canadian Forces flight investigation team is on its way to the
crash site to determine the cause of this accident, said Col. Michel
Legault, director of flight safety for the military.
"The purpose of the team is to determine all factors which contributed to
the occurrence and the final cause, and to recommend preventative safety
measures," he said in a statement out of Ottawa.
It was not known what caused the jets to brush together, but investigators
said weather was not a factor. Officials said it was cold and clear at the
time.
Joanne Petersen, who lives on a farm near the crash site, said one of the
planes appeared to be in distress.
"My sister-in-law was outside and noticed one of the jets she thought was
not with the group was flying rather slowly and was tipped on its side,"
Petersen said.
"The next thing we heard was that a plane was circling quite low to the
ground . . . and then the neighbour drove in and told me that there’s a
plane down in the field."
Farmer Bill Lubuik was out in the field when the plane crashed.
"I was just out feeding the cows and I seen a great big burst of smoke come
up in the air," he said. "So I radioed back to the house and I told the wife
a plane has crashed."
Shyiak said the pilots must concentrate intensely during manoeuvres, which
are carried out with wingtips just two to three metres apart.
"You’re concentrating on flying the aircraft, making the aircraft do what
you want it to with your hands and your feet, with the controls," he said.
Meanwhile, the mood at CFB Moose Jaw was very subdued.
Capt. Bil Church, who was one of the first on the scene, said it’s always
painful to lose a comrade.
"It really hits home because not only do you know the people well but it’s
what you do everyday," said Church, who works as a flight instructor.
"I find if I ever have any concerns, you try to push them away before you
actually get airborne. Once you’re in the jet, it’s very important to be
focused."
The Snowbirds team, formed in 1971 to showcase the military’s best fliers,
has thrilled 85 million spectators across North America.
The crashed jet was a CT-114 Tutor jet built in the 1960s. The two-seater
training plane is capable of speeds up to 500 km/hour.
Stress tests conducted in 1990 indicated the plane is structurally sound and
should last until 2005.
CAPT. MICHAEL VANDENBOS:
Home town: Born and raised in Whitby, Ont.
Age: 29.
Joined Armed Forces: In 1989, graduating from Sault College Aviation in
1990.
Accomplishments: Received his wings in 1993, joined the Snowbirds two years
ago.
Position: Flew the No. 2 jet in the squadron, as the inner right wing.
Experience: Had more than 500 hours in the air as an instructor, and more
than 2,000 hours flying experience on the CT-114 Tutor aircraft.
© The Canadian Press, 1998