Former Snowbirds express confidence in CT-114 Tutors despite report citing 'significant' safety concerns

A former commander of the Snowbirds and a former team member say that they have no concerns about their safety when flying the Canadian CT-114 Tutors—which are almost 60 years old, reports CBC News.

"There isn't a better jet that exists today to be able to do the Snowbirds' mission and I really feel strongly about that," noted Robert Mitchell, a leader of the Snowbirds in 2007 and 2008.

The former commander says that alumni from the team are showing their support for the current team after a crash led to the death of one member and the injury of another. The crash took place in Kamloops on Sunday and the cause is still unknown.

Mitchell has seen tragedies involving Snowbirds in the past.

During his first year after becoming a commander, Capt. Shawn McCaughey—his second pilot—died in a crash in 2007 shortly before the first performance of the year.

McCoughey was practicing at the time to prepare for a show at Montana’s Malmstrom Air Force Base.

McCoughey’s seatbelt came undone at some point in a roll and he lost control after falling out of his seat, according to a military report.

"I can't help but think about my teams in 2007 when there was a crash … that shared horror," Mitchell said from his north Vancouver home on Sunday.

Though the cause of the latest crash has yet to be determined, Mitchell says he has never questioned the utility of the Canadian-built jets. He believes the Tutor jets are safe and can still be flown.

"The age of the plane is somewhat irrelevant because if the airplane and the components of the airplane are kept up to date then there really is no question," he said adding that the planes go through an extremely thorough maintenance program.

"The airplane is almost entirely disassembled and rebuilt up and so I never had any question about the airplanes."

Reports show that Ottawa is looking for a plan to eventually replace the planes.

The jets were supposed to retire in 2010 before the date was pushed another 10 years even though an internal report from 2003 warned of increasing risks and suggested that the planes be replaced “immediately.”

A 2014 report called the fleet "technically airworthy" though it pointed to "significant" concerns.

The Department of National Defence in 2016, looked at the possibility of allowing the CT-114 Tutors to stay operating until 2025 and 2030 despite more "significant concerns."

In 2018, the Trudeau government decided that the planes should be flown until 2030.

A former air force member named David McNair believes the plane is vigorous and says that older planes are currently being flown in the country.

"There are planes around that are older, but typically those planes aren't subjected to a lot of vertical forces," he said. "It's a difficult thing to maintain an airplane that's getting older."

The cost is a main reason for waiting so long to replace the planes and is estimated to be between $500 million and $1.5 billion.

Mark Miller spent time around the team when making documentaries on the program and said the recent crash is a big surprise to the Snowbirds community. Seven Snowbird pilots have died as well as one passenger throughout the team's history.

Miller believes that they are safe and well maintained and that pilots can continue flying them.

"Aviation is a funny business … we all know the risks, we all know the dangers, yet we all still strap into airplanes and we all go flying knowing that. It brings about a tremendous amount of joy."