A Royal Canadian Air Force pilot has been killed in a CF-18 fighter crash near an army facility in Cold Lake, northeast of Edmonton.

“At approximately 11:09 a.m. Cold Lake local time, a CF-188 [the official plane designation] Hornet from 4 Wing Cold Lake crashed inside the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range inside Saskatchewan, not far from the Primrose Lake Evaluation Range,” Capt. Mat Strong, public affairs officer for 4 Wing Cold Lake, said in a statement.

The RCAF dispatched multiple helicopter crews to search for the missing pilot, but quickly discovered that he was dead. The air force has said that his name “will not be released until next of kin are notified.”

Introduced in the 1980s, the McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet is the backbone of the Royal Canadian Air Force, with 73 operational planes, prior to the crash. The last crash involving the model also occurred out of Cold Lake in 2010, one of two locations where they are based, but the pilot was able to eject safely in time.</s>COLD LAKE, Alta. — The Canadian Forces says a CF-18 fighter jet has crashed in northeastern Alberta.

A military spokesman said the plane was based out of Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake.

A helicopter from the base has been dispatched to look for the pilot.

"I can confirm that a CF-18 has gone down," said Evan Koronewski, an official with the Department of National Defence official.

"It is eastern Alberta close to the Saskatchewan border."

There was no immediate word on whether the pilot was able to eject before the crash.

The Cold Lake base in northeastern Alberta is the busiest fighter base in Canada.

It provides fighter pilot training for all Canadian Forces pilots.

Its unrestricted air weapons range is nearly three million hectares in size.</s>COLD LAKE, Alta. – The pilot of a CF-18 fighter jet that crashed near the Alberta-Saskatchewan boundary has died.

The Air Force said the single-seat fighter was based out of Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake and that the crash happened Monday morning.

The plane went down inside the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range that covers almost 30,000 square kilometres in northern Alberta and Saskatchewan.

The pilot was not identified pending notification of next of kin.

Speaking in Ottawa, Air Force commander Lt.-Gen. Michael Hood said the plane came down on the Saskatchewan side of the boundary during a routine training mission by 401 Squadron.

“It’s a very, very sad day for the RCAF and our hearts go out to the family of our fallen member,” Hood said. “More details will be forthcoming. It’s just a reminder of the dangerous work that we ask the men and women of our air force and our armed forces to do every day.”

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said he couldn’t speculate on what caused the crash.

“It’s too preliminary to make any type of judgement or conclusions,” Sajjan said.

“The best thing we can do right now is give the Air Force and the Canadian Armed Forces the space to do the necessary work and then we will have more to say about that.”

The Cold Lake base in northeastern Alberta is the busiest fighter base in Canada.

It provides fighter pilot training for all Canadian Forces pilots.</s>The Canadian Forces says a CF-18 fighter jet has crashed in northeastern Alberta.

A military spokesman says the plane was based out of Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake.

A helicopter from the base has been dispatched to look for the pilot.

There was no immediate word on whether the pilot was able to eject before the crash.

More to come</s>TORONTO — A pilot is dead after a Canadian CF-18 fighter jet crashed in western Canada during a training mission.

Canadian Forces spokesman Daniel Le Bouthillier confirmed that the pilot died in Monday's crash.

He said the plane was based out of Alberta's Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake, the busiest fighter base in Canada. It provides fighter training for all Canadian Forces pilots.

Speaking in Ottawa, Air Force commander Lt.-Gen. Michael Hood said the plane came down on the Saskatchewan side of the border between the provinces during a routine training mission.

Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan said he couldn't speculate on what caused the crash. A helicopter from the base was dispatched to the crash site.

The Canadian government announced last week that it would look to buy 18 Super Hornet jet fighters from Boeing to replace Canada's aging fleet of CF-18s. Canada is also holding an open competition to buy dozens more planes over the next five years. Canada remains part of Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.</s>The Canadian Forces has told the Canadian Press a CF-18 fighter jet has crashed in northeastern Alberta.

More from the Canadian Press article:

A military spokesman says the plane was based out of Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake. A helicopter from the base has been dispatched to look for the pilot. There was no immediate word on whether the pilot was able to eject before the crash.</s>The incident happened near the community of Cold Lake, home to the Royal Canadian Air Force's 4 Wing Cold Lake, the busiest fighter base in Canada, according to the defense department.

The base, used to train Canada's fighter pilots, attracts international crews to its annual air combat exercise, Maple Flag, according to the department.

In July, a plane crashed in Cold Lake during a military air show, killing the pilot.</s>A Canadian Forces pilot is dead after a fighter jet from 4 Wing Cold Lake crashed inside the air weapons range on the Saskatchewan side of the border.

 

 “At approximately 11:09 a.m. Cold Lake local time, a CF-18 Hornet from 4 Wing Cold Lake crashed inside the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range inside Saskatchewan, not far from the Primrose Lake Evaluation Range,” said Capt. Mat Strong, public affairs officer for 4 Wing Cold Lake, in a Monday statement.

 

 Emergency services, along with 417 Combat Squadron, were sent to the area of the crash. The air force confirmed the pilot died but the cause of the crash is not yet known.

 

 “Tragically, we can confirm that the pilot did not survive the accident. The name will not be released until next of kin are notified,” read a tweet from the Royal Canadian Air Force account.

 

 Cold Lake has not seen a downed jet since June 2011 when a CT-155 Hawk trainer jet crash landed when a jet engine blade malfunctioned.

 

 Pilots Col. Lee Vogan and Capt. Jens Lundgreen-Nielsen ejected from the aircraft after unsuccessful attempts to glide the plane back to the Cold Lake runway.

 

 The last crash-related death near Cold Lake was earlier this year when veteran pilot Bruce Evans crashed the T-28 Trojan he was performing in during the Cold Lake air show in July.

 

 Back in Nov. 2010, Capt. Darren Blakie ejected from his CF-18 Hornet seconds before it crashed at night about 13 km northeast of Cold Lake. He escaped the crash with minor injures.

 

 Cold Lake is about 295 km northeast of Edmonton.</s>A Canadian Forces pilot is dead after a CF-18 fighter jet from 4 Wing Cold Lake crashed inside the air weapons range on the Saskatchewan side of the border.

 

 “At approximately 11:09 a.m. Cold Lake local time, a CF-188 Hornet from 4 Wing Cold Lake crashed inside the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range inside Saskatchewan, not far from the Primrose Lake Evaluation Range,” said Capt. Mat Strong, public affairs officer for 4 Wing Cold Lake, in a Monday statement.

 

 Emergency services, along with 417 Combat Squadron, were sent to the area of the crash. The air force confirmed the pilot died but the cause of the crash is not yet known.

 

 “Tragically, we can confirm that the pilot did not survive the accident. The name will not be released until next of kin are notified,” read a tweet from the Royal Canadian Air Force account.

 

 Former Edmonton Conservative MP Laurie Hawn was one of the first pilots to fly the CF-18 aircraft when they were added to the Canadian arsenal in 1982. He says the planes themselves give very few clues to how the incident occurred.

 

 “It’s an extremely capable airplane, it’s an extremely safe airplane. It’s got a very, very good safety record,” said Hawn, who is the honorary colonel of the 4 Wing squadron.

 

 Hawn said his thoughts are now with the family of the pilot.

 

 “Obviously the squadron’s focus is looking after them at this point. Investigations will happen, they will take care of themselves, they will be done thoroughly and that will take some time, but right now the focus is definitely on the family,” he said.

 

 “You basically wrap your arms around them and you give them all the support they need because there’s nothing worse than the black staff car showing up in the driveway.”

 

 Back in Nov. 2010, Capt. Darren Blakie ejected safely from his CF-18 Hornet seconds before it crashed at night about 13 km northeast of Cold Lake. He escaped the crash with minor injures.

 

 Cold Lake has not seen a downed jet since June 2011 when a CT-155 Hawk trainer jet crash landed when a jet engine blade malfunctioned. Pilots Col. Lee Vogan and Capt. Jens Lundgreen-Nielsen ejected from the aircraft after unsuccessful attempts to glide the plane back to the Cold Lake runway.

 

 The last crash-related death near Cold Lake was earlier this year when veteran pilot Bruce Evans crashed the T-28 Trojan he was performing in during the Cold Lake air show in July.

 

 Cold Lake is about 295 km northeast of Edmonton.</s>COLD LAKE, Alta. — A pilot killed in the crash of a CF-18 fighter jet near the Alberta-Saskatchewan boundary has been identified as a Hamilton man who had been with the military for a decade.

Col. Paul Doyle, commanding officer of 4 Wing Cold Lake, said Capt. Thomas McQueen was engaged to be married and his fiancee lives in the Cold Lake area.

"I can tell you first-hand how much of an incredible person he was and that he was dedicated to the service of Canada," Doyle said Tuesday. "His energy and dedication caused him to be recognized as the leader among his peers. He will be and is forever missed."

"Operating a supersonic fighter aircraft in dynamic manoeuvring is not something that we take lightly," Doyle said. "We make sure we train ourselves and prepare ourselves to the highest standards of professionalism."

"We're very much a family," Mullins said. "It's like we lost a member of our family yesterday."

"Every day, members of the Canadian Armed Forces prepare themselves for the responsibility of shielding their fellow citizens from harm," Vance said. "That training is both rigorous and demanding. It has to be."

The air weapons range covers almost 30,000 square kilometres spanning the two provinces. Cold Lake is the busiest fighter base in the country and provides fighter pilot training for all Canadian Forces pilots.

At least 10 pilots have died in crashes of CF-18s since the military bought 138 of the jets for $5 billion in 1980.

In 2003, Cpt. Kevin Naismith was killed when the CF-18 he was flying went down during an international training exercise at the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range. The 38-year-old was killed by the impact of a loose harness strap that snapped taut and struck his head. An investigation found the plane had spun out of control because of a malfunctioning stabilizer in the jet's tail end.

The federal government has said many of the force's aging CF-18s are out of service on any given day because of maintenance issues. The Liberal government is preparing to negotiate the purchase of 18 new Super Hornet fighter jets that it says it needs until a competition to replace the CF-18s can be finished.
A Canadian pilot is killed when his CF-18 fighter jet crashes near an army facility in Cold Lake, Alberta.