Fallen Snowbird Returns Home

  • Published
  • By 15 Wing Moose Jaw Public Affairs
  • 15 Wing Moose Jaw Public Affairs
15 WING MOOSE JAW, Saskatchewan --  Captain Shawn McCaughey will return home to 15 Wing Moose Jaw by CC-130 Hercules aircraft during the evening of Tuesday, May 22, following the tragic aircraft accident that claimed his life.

Family and members of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be on hand to render full military honours to their fallen comrade.

Captain McCaughey, 31, of Candiac, Quebec died May 18 when the CT-114 Tutor jet he was piloting crashed during an air show rehearsal at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls, Montana. He served as the Inner Right Wing position pilot and flew the No. 2 jet for the team. He was in his second year with the Squadron.

A military memorial service for Captain McCaughey will take place Friday, May 25 at 15 Wing Moose Jaw. A private interment service for Captain McCaughey will be held in Candiac, Quebec at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the McCaughey family would prefer that donations be made to Montreal's Fondation de l'Hopital Sainte-Justine / St. Justine Hospital Foundation (Neo-Natal Unit) in honour of "Snowbird No.2, Captain Shawn McCaughey." For more information about this charity, please visit www.fondation-sainte-justine.org.

The Canadian Forces Flight Safety Investigative Team will continue their work in Montana to determine the cause of the accident and will make recommendations aimed at preventing such accidents in the future.

Note to editors/news directors:

To allow the McCaughey Family and Snowbirds time to grieve, the return of Captain McCaughey today will not be open to the public and will be restricted to the media. Shared imagery will be a pool resource.

The media are invited to attend the military funeral service in Moose Jaw on May 25 at 1:00 p.m. (MDT), though interviews will not be granted to the media. Further information concerning this service will be made available in a Media Advisory to be issued in the near future. The internment service in Candiac will not be open to the public or media in accordance with the family's wishes.

For more information, please visit www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/15wing/.