What happened
The incident occurred during a local navigation exercise involving a twin engine airplane that had departed from RCAF Rivers. While climbing at night to an altitude of approximately 400 feet, the aircraft was executing a gentle turn to the east. During this maneuver, the plane climbed rapidly before falling off on the right wing and dropping its nose. The right wingtip struck the ground almost vertically, causing the airframe to break apart and ignite immediately. All five crew members were killed in the accident.
Findings
Official investigations determined that the pilot became disoriented upon entering a low-lying fog bank. This confusion led to an unrecoverable dive after what was effectively a stall turn to the right, resulting in the starboard wing striking the ground at high speed. Two primary contributing factors were identified: the presence of unserviceable blind flying instruments and a sudden deterioration in weather conditions.