Technical problems that could undermine the safety of an emergency ejection have forced the cancellation of Snowbirds’ performance in the Moncton area.
The aerobatic team of the Canadian Air Force was to present itself over the city this Wednesday.
But a technical problem with a tool that sets the time for parachutes during ejection caused the planes to land.
“We have full confidence that this problem will be resolved in a safe way by working with a third aviation contractor and our own technical and maintenance experts,” the major general said. Eric Kenny, Commander of the 1st Canadian Air Division.
Snowbirds were scheduled to fly over the Moncton area on June 29, but technical difficulties canceled those plans. (Guy LeBlanc / CBC / Radio Canada)
Once the problem is resolved, the parachutes on the CT-114 Tutor will have to be retested and repackaged, a press release said.
The cancellation comes two years after a Snowbirds plane crashed in Kamloops, British Columbia, killing one of the two crews on board.
Both crews were ejected, but there were problems with the ejection of the dead crew member and they were not fully explained.
The Ministry of National Defense said that there was no connection between the current problems and the catastrophe in 2020.
The show in Moncton would be especially significant, as the pilot who survived the crash in 2020, Captain Rich McDougall, is from Dieppe and had to fly to the event.
Snowbirds say they are working hard to fix the problem in time for the Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa.
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