A Canadian Forces Snowbirds pilot was not hurt after after having to evacuate his aircraft during the Atlanta Air Show Sunday.
A tweet from The Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds said Capt. Kevin Domon-Grenier was “forced to eject” from the aircraft before the performance.
He made it safely to the ground, the post stated, and no one was injured. A video posted to Twitter shows a plume of grey smoke rising in the air.
“The aircraft fell in an unpopulated area,” the organization said.
The tweet said it was too early to speculate on the cause of the incident.
The U.S Federal Aviation Administration said that the aircraft, a CT-114 Tutor, crashed around 1:30 EDT in a pasture near Brooks, Ga.
A Sunday night statement by the RCAF’s Lt.-Col. Mike French said Domon-Grenier was taken to hospital “as a precaution” but has since been released.
“We’re very grateful that Captain Domon-Grenier made it safely to the ground,” he said in the statement.
“He remained calm throughout the entire incident which is a testament to his skill and professionalism.”
The RCAF says the plane went down in an unpopulated area and no one was injured. Local law enforcement has secured the crash site.
“At this time the precise circumstances leading up to the ejection are not known,” French said in the statement.
He added that it is “too early” to speculate on whether the Snowbirds will be participating in their last scheduled airshow for the year — this is scheduled on Oct. 19 and 20 in Houston, Texas.
“The priority right now is to provide support to the members of our squadron and their families and to investigate fully the cause of the accident.”
— With files by Maryam Shah