Tributes roll in one year after Snowbirds plane crash claims the life of Captain Jennifer Casey

Tributes mark one year since fatal Snowbirds crash Monday marks one year since Captain Jennifer Casey died in a Snowbirds plane crash in Kamloops, B.C.

HALIFAX — Tributes are being shared online for Captain Jennifer Casey who died one year ago in a Snowbirds plane crash in Kamloops, B.C.

Captain Casey was from Halifax and served as the public affairs officer.

A week after her death, Casey's remains were brought back to Nova Scotia and honoured with a ramp ceremony and police-escorted motorcade through parts of her hometown.

In a tweet Monday morning, the Snowbirds say Casey was enthusiastic, warm and witty, adding they'll carry on her legacy by continuing Operation Inspiration.

The aerobatics team was grounded for more than three months following the crash, which also injured Captain Richard MacDougall of Dieppe, N.B.

The investigation revealed a small bird flew into the plane’s engine shortly after take-off from the Kamloops airport on May 17, 2020, causing the plane to lose power.

The pilot then gave an order to abandon the aircraft – at too low of a height to safely do so. According to the investigation’s findings, neither the pilot nor passenger had time to safely deploy their parachutes.

The investigation was completed by the Royal Canadian Air Force’s Directorate of Flight Safety, along with the Airworthiness Investigative Authority.

The report made five recommendations focused on prevention and safety: additional training for aircrew to better prepare "for an engine failure after take-off in a low-level environment, clarify the command to ‘eject’, publish a directive to clarify how aircrew should prioritize an ejection-scenario near or over a populated area, and research potential options to stabilize the ejection seat from any tendency to pitch, roll, or yaw."