“Snowbird 5, Capt Kevin Domon-Grenier was forced to eject from his aircraft shiortly (sic) before our performance in Atlanta this afternoon. Capt Domon-Grenier made it safely to the ground and is okay. The aircraft fell in an unpopulated area and no one was injured.”

That was the statement put out by the RCAF after Domon-Grenier’s Tutor jet crashed near Atlanta, Georgia during a warm-up exercise before the start of the Atlanta Air Show. As of yet, there is no word on the cause of the crash. A witness reported, however, that the aircraft was on fire before hitting the ground. Another witness reported hearing a “putt……..putt-putt” sound prior to the crash.

Domon-Grenier is one half of the first and only husband-and-wife team to serve as Snowbird pilots. His wife, Capt. Sarah Dallaire, flies Snowbird 2.

The other performances scheduled for the rest of the day were cancelled. Also cancelled is the Snowbirds performance in Houston, Texas that was scheduled for the weekend of October 19-20 as the Snowbird team and investigators try to determine the cause of the crash.

“We regret we won’t get to perform for fans at Wings over Houston, however determining the cause of the accident is our top priority right now,” read a statement by the team on Twitter.

Photo courtesy of the RCAF