What happened
On 31 July 2018, a Kasper Kootenay Wings MS Special Basic Ultralight was performing a flight from a private airfield located east of Grande Prairie, Alberta, toward Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The flight was being conducted as a private operation. Shortly after departing the airfield, while the aircraft was at an altitude of approximately 500 feet, it transitioned into a nose-down attitude. This maneuver led to a collision with the ground. The impact resulted in a post-crash fire, and the pilot sustained fatal injuries.
The investigation
The TSB conducted a Class 4 investigation into the accident. This type of investigation is limited in scope and focuses on the immediate circumstances surrounding the event. The investigation examined the flight path, the aircraft's behavior following takeoff, and the conditions at the time of the terrain collision.