RCAF Training Flight Ends with Ejection

Mark Phelps

Tuesday, January 28, 2014 at 11:17 PM ET

Verified

** RCAF CT-156 Harvard II**

Key Takeaways:

Two Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) pilots successfully ejected from a CT-156 Harvard II trainer following a critical landing gear malfunction during a training flight.
The decision for a "controlled ejection" was made after a second observation aircraft confirmed the gear problem made a safe landing impossible.
Both the instructor and student landed safely about 5.5 kilometers from the airport, becoming members of the "Caterpillar Club."
The C$8-10 million aircraft crashed in an open field, and its wreckage will be investigated, with officials emphasizing the successful preservation of human life.

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A Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) instructor pilot and student now have an uneven number of takeoffs and landings in their logbooks. Both qualified for membership in the Caterpillar Club by ejecting from their Beechcraft CT-156 Harvard II trainer during a routine training mission. The Harvard II is the Canadian version of the Texan II trainer used by American military forces.

An undisclosed issue with the turboprop single’s landing gear led to the “controlled ejection.” When the pilots realized they had a problem with the gear, a second aircraft from the RCAF’s 15 Moose Jaw Wing launched from the Saskatchewan training base to survey the issue. The observers determined the problem could result in a dangerous landing attempt, so the Wing decided that an ejection was the prudent course of action.