The pilot of a CF-18 fighter jet that crashed near the Alberta-Saskatchewan border Monday has been identified as Captain Thomas McQueen.
Just after 11:00 a.m. Monday, McQueen's CF-188 Hornet from 4 Wing Cold Lake crashed inside the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range in Saskatchewan.
“Captain McQueen was flying on a training mission to Cold Lake Air Weapons Range on the Saskatchewan side of the range, when his aircraft crashed,” Colonel Paul Doyle, Commander 4 Wing and CFB Cold Lake, said Tuesday morning. “Other RCF aircraft flying overhead confirmed the crash.”
Emergency services responded to the crash, but found that Captain McQueen did not survive the crash.
At a news conference Tuesday, Colonel Paul Doyle, Commander 4 Wing and CFB Cold Lake, expressed his sadness and sympathies to McQueen's family, friends and loved ones.
“As we take time to come to terms with this terrible news, our primary thoughts are with the loved ones and friends of Captain McQueen,” Col. Doyle said. “We are doing everything we can to support them in the wake of this tragedy.”
Doyle called McQueen an “incredible person” who was dedicated to the service of Canada.
“I personally knew Captain McQueen, I had the privilege of inspecting him at 410 Tactical Fighter Operational Training Squadron when he was learning to fly the Hornet,” Col. Doyle said.
McQueen, 29, was a seasoned pilot based out of 4 Wing Cold Lake, was from Hamilton and was engaged to be married.
A Flight Safety investigation will be conducted to determine the cause of the accident.
With files from Nicole Weisberg
