The perimeter fence at Kamloops International Airport became an expression of the collective grief felt in the wake of the fatal Snowbirds crash there two weeks ago but it also loomed as a big FOD hazard. Authorities took the necessary step of removing thousands of notes, flags, murals and posters from the fence earlier this week but the graphic representation of the emotional outpouring will not be lost. The items, which filled more than a kilometre of fence, were carefully removed and sorted for distribution to loved ones and others important to Capt, Jennifer Casey, who died in the accident, and Capt. Richard MacDougall, who was seriously injured.
MacDougall and Casey had just taken off on a repositioning flight to Comox when something went wrong and MacDougall climbed the aircraft abruptly. It fell into a spin and both occupants ejected but Casey did not survive. MacDougall was rescued from a rooftop near where the Tutor crashed into a house. A few days later, Royal Inland Hospital released a photo of a smiling MacDougall greeting First Nations drummers who had gathered outside to pay tribute to him.