What happened
The incident occurred during a scheduled night navigation training mission. The aircraft departed from Prince Albert as part of a formation consisting of eight similar airframes. As the group progressed along their route, meteorological conditions deteriorated significantly, characterized by light snowfall and reduced visibility.
Seven of the participating aircraft elected to turn back to base before reaching the designated first turning point due to the worsening weather. The remaining aircraft, registration R9740, continued its flight path. In circumstances that remain unspecified in the available records, the airframe lost control and impacted the ground approximately six miles south and two miles east of Kinistino.
The impact resulted in fatal injuries for all personnel on board. There were four fatalities among the crew members, who included the pilot, a flight officer, and two other service members.
Findings
Investigative conclusions indicated that the accident stemmed from an error of judgment by the pilot. The decision to continue flying into adverse weather conditions was identified as a primary factor, particularly given that other aircraft in the same exercise had successfully aborted their missions when faced with similar hazards. Additionally, the inability to maintain proper instrument equilibrium while operating in poor visibility contributed to the loss of control.