The future of the Snowbirds aerobatics program remains hanging in the balance following the latest crash.

The squadron's famous red and white Tutor jets are currently sitting on a tarmac in Thunder Bay, Ont., not far from where one of them crashed yesterday afternoon.

It was a close call for pilot Captain Andrew MacKay. He was forced to eject from his plane just seconds before it plunged into a field Wednesday afternoon during a routine test manoeuvre ahead of an air show.

MacKay has been released from hospital after being treated for undisclosed injuries, the Department of National Defence said.

Military investigators arrived at the crash site Thursday to begin sifting through the wreckage for clues.

Snowbirds commanding officer Major Ian McLean said the team will dig through the wreckage, talk to the pilot and witnesses, and look at the aircraft's maintenance records.

"We don't have a cause at the moment. It would be pure speculation on my part. We had a loss of thrust on the aircraft," McLean told CTV News.

The Snowbirds fly CT-114 Tutors, jets that are more than 30 years old.

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