The Canadian Press
COLD LAKE, Alta.—An airshow in Alberta took a tragic turn yesterday when a plane crashed and “disintegrated,” killing the pilot.
A public affairs officer at Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake said the T-28 Trojan went down during a performance.
The pilot, Bruce Evans, died in the crash, said Capt. Mathew Strong.
Defence minister Harjit Sajjan expressed his sympathies late yesterday, tweeting: “My sincere condolences to Mr. Evans’ family and friends.”
The crash occurred in view of horrified airshow spectators, among them Cathy Heron, a city councillor from St. Albert, Alta.
“It just had gone and inverted and done a loop or something, and then it just nose-dived right into the ground,” said Heron.
“It just sort of disintegrated into dust in the hill.”
Edmonton resident Jim McCulley said he was watching the show with a friend from the VIP tent when the plane went down.
“I haven’t been to an airshow before; everything just seemed normal,” he noted.
“I actually did not see the plane hit the ground,” he added.
“I looked away for a second and we just heard this kind of pop.”
McCulley said it took him a moment to realize that what was unfolding was not a planned part of the show.
“I was shocked, both my friend and I were in disbelief,” he remarked.
Evans grew up in an Canadian air force family, with his father working as an aircraft maintenance engineer.
The Calgary man ran his own airborne geophysical survey company, Firefly Airborne Surveys, combining his training as a professional geologist and passion for aviation.
Through his career, Evans accumulated more than 4,100 hours of flight time.
In 2007, Evans purchased the Trojan—a single-engine, propeller-driven aircraft that was manufactured in 1955 and served in the U.S. Navy.
The Cold Lake Airshow is a two-day event hosted by the Canadian Forces that features pilots and aircraft from across the continent, including Canada’s Snowbirds demonstration team.
The Transportation Safety Board said a team has been sent out to survey the crash and determine whether a full investigation is needed.
A spokeswoman said the team was to be on scene into the evening and more information was expected today.
