A CT-156 Harvard II trainer aircraft sits on the tarmac at CFB Moose Jaw, Sask., on March 15, 2006. A military plane has gone down near a Canadian Forces Base south of Moose Jaw, Sask. Officials say two people in the Harvard training aircraft walked away unharmed after what is being called a “controlled ejection.”The Canadian Press
Two Royal Canadian Air Force officers are safe after they ejected from their plane before it crashed into a field near a base in southern Saskatchewan.
A military officer says an instructor and a student pilot were on a routine training mission Friday afternoon in a CT-156 Harvard II when they ran into trouble.
The crew was able to fly to a safe area near 15 Wing Moose Jaw and then bailed out of the plane while it was still under control — what the military calls a "controlled ejection."
Capt. Thomas Edelson said the two crew members parachuted to the ground and were able to walk to emergency response crews, who took them to hospital for a medical check.
"As far as ejections go I don't think you could ask for a better scenario," Edelson said.
"If you have to eject from an aircraft, this one went about as well as you could ask for. It certainly could have been worse."
The Harvard is a single-engine turboprop plane used to train pilots in the early stages of the NATO Flying Training in Canada program.
The plane was from 2 Canadian Forces Flying Training School based at 15 Wing.
The names, ranks and medical condition of the two crew members were not released.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.