What was meant to be a fun, family weekend turned tragic, when a crash at the Cold Lake Air Show left a civilian pilot dead on Sunday afternoon.
Bruce Evans was piloting his T-28 Trojan during a performance when at approximately 1:50 p.m., hundreds in attendance watched as his plane crashed to the ground.
Many St. Paul residents were in attendance at the annual event, including Justin Anderson and his family. Anderson says he was distracted by his young kids when the crash happened, but he did see the plane hit the ground.
There was a “loud crashing noise, and then dust, and the smoke. I know that it was not good,” he says. “With the speed that the plane was going when it hit the ground, it would be tough for someone to survive, even though we all stayed positive and hoped for the best for the pilot.”
Anderson says when the crash happened, “the base went from hustle and bustle to near complete silence. The announcer was calm and collected as he had total silence to make his announcements about what was happening in regards to emergency vehicles and personal heading to the scene.”
He believes the response by the base helped keep the crowd calm, “and the Cold Lake Base personal did an unbelievable job of getting to the crash site fast to do what they could.”
Anderson says his five-year-old son has been asking some questions about the crash, and when he overheard that the pilot had died, he voiced his concern and told his parents he felt sad.
A day after the crash occurred, Anderson says it still feels surreal.
“You read about this stuff online and watch the news when it happens, but you never really expect it to happen when you are there. As unlikely as it is to happen.”
Looking back, Anderson says that despite the sad circumstances of the pilot passing away, he is aware that the incident could have been much worse.
Cold Lake Mayor Craig Copeland was also in attendance when the crash occurred, saying, “The silence in the crowd was incredible. Everybody was just shocked and just felt horrible, and was hoping the pilot had survived.”
He added, “I saw the plane go by in the air. I turned to my right to the gentlemen I was talking to and then I heard a sudden boom. It wasn’t that loud, but I looked up and I could see the smoke. It’s a really tragic event.”
While the cause of the crash hasn't been released yet, witnesses say it looked as if Evans was coming out of a loop in his routine but ended up being too close to the ground.
Immediately following the crash, Copeland explained that the announcer directed people with children to take them over to the static display and keep their focus on something else.
Emergency services personnel from 4 Wing responded to the situation and, upon securing the scene, discovered Evans was already deceased.
“We are deeply saddened by this incident and are providing our full support to Mr. Evans' team here in Cold Lake,” said base Commander Col. Eric Kenny. “We express our deepest sympathies to the family, friends and loved ones of Mr. Evans.”
The remainder of the air show was cancelled, and visitors were directed off of the base grounds.
Residing in Calgary, Evans was no amateur pilot. Throughout his career, he has logged 4,100 hours of flight time experience and holds an Airline Transport Pilot Licence with Instrument Rate, a T-28 Endorsement, and a low level aerobatic clearance.
Growing up in an Air Force family, Evans' always had an interest in aviation. However, he decided to take his own path and attend Queen's University in Kingston, ON to become a geologist. His love of flight only grew when the family purchased a Cessna 172, which became his choice of travel between university and his home in North Bay, ON.
Evans has been involved in resource exploration throughout the Americas, Europe and Africa. Through his career, aircrafts have been used extensively for not just transportation, but in the completion of geophysical surveys. From that, he became an entrepreneur with the launch of his own airborne geophysical survey company – Firefly Airborne Surveys.
It wasn't until 2007 when Evans purchased his T-28B Trojan – the last of the big piston engine military aircraft built. His specific craft was manufactured in 1955 and served in the US Navy.
“The dedication and commitment of the pilots, both military and private, it’s just amazing,” expressed Copeland. “Everybody has heavy hearts…but I’m sure Bruce would be telling everybody to keep on going and putting on the show.”
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) deployed a team of investigators to CFB Cold Lake shortly after the crash. They are currently gathering more information and assessing the incident.
