What happened
The incident occurred while two Anson aircraft were conducting a ferry flight from Winnipeg to Ottawa. The operation included an intermediate stop at Armstrong Airport. Both airplanes were carrying three crew members each, for a total of six personnel on board.
Shortly after departing Armstrong Airport, the two aircraft were flying in close formation at low altitude. During this phase, the wing of the aircraft registered 6267 made contact with the rudder of the second Anson, registered 6717. The impact caused the second aircraft to nose down and descend directly to the ground. Meanwhile, the first aircraft appeared to rise briefly before stalling; it then entered a steep turn to the left and crashed into the terrain.
Both airplanes were destroyed in the collision. All six crew members aboard the two aircraft lost their lives in the accident.
Findings
The official investigation determined that the pilots involved disobeyed specific instructions regarding formation flying. They had been explicitly told not to fly in close right echelon formation. Additionally, the findings noted that the pilots had received very little or no recent formal training on this specific maneuver.