Military aircraft crashes in southern Saskatchewan; two pilots safely eject

MOOSE JAW, Sask. – Two pilots ejected safely Friday from a military training plane before it crashed near a base in southern Saskatchewan, says a National Defence spokeswoman.

Jessica Lamirande said a CT-156 Harvard II aircraft crashed about 10:30 a.m. Friday near 15 Wing Moose Jaw.

First responders went to the crash site and found both pilots with non-life-threatening injuries.

A civilian helicopter ambulance transported one of the pilots to a Regina hospital. The other pilot was driven to an unspecified hospital.

Lt. Michele Tremblay, a spokeswoman with the base, said the pilots are an instructor and a student with the Royal Canadian Air Force serving at the 2 Canadian Forces Flying Training School.

Details of what prompted the pilots to eject were not released.

“The precise circumstances about the ejection are not known,” Tremblay said. “A flight safety team from Ottawa will be travelling to Moose Jaw to investigate.”

The Harvard II is a single-engine turboprop that is often used to help train new pilots before they go on to fly other types of aircraft.

The Air Force considers the Moose Jaw base the home of military pilot training in Canada.

It is the principle site for the NATO flight-training program in Canada and home to the Snowbirds aerobatic demonstration team.

— With files from CJME