What happened
The crew departed Fort McLeod for an instructional flight. As they approached the area near Pincher Creek, the airplane entered a thin patch of cloud. The pilot descended slowly through mist and subsequently struck rising terrain. The impact destroyed the aircraft, and all three members on board sustained serious injuries.
Findings
The official investigation determined that the primary factor was the captain's disobedience in conducting dangerous and unauthorized low-level flying. A secondary contributing factor was an error of judgment by the captain, who failed to pull out of the dive in sufficient time to avoid the rising ground under adverse weather conditions.