Safety board flags cloudy weather, poor visibility in Alberta plane crash that killed 6

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada says the pilot of a small plane that crashed into a mountain west of Calgary, killing all six people on board, didn't fully understand the weather conditions when he took off and kept flying with poor visibility.

The pilot and five passengers were killed en route from the Springbank Airport just outside Calgary to Salmon Arm, B.C., where they were all to attend a social function in July 2023.

The agency says its investigation found the pilot had flown that route several times before and had recently qualified to fly the Piper aircraft his father had recently purchased.

The flight, scheduled to leave at 7:30 p.m., had been delayed due to weather and the window was closing to travel to Salmon Arm before dark.

The safety board found the pilot did not receive a free weather briefing offered by Nav Canada, but garnered information from an unspecified internet source and from someone at the airport before deciding to take off shortly before 9 p.m.

About 15 minutes into the flight, the plane crashed into the northeast face of Mount McGillivray in Kananaskis Country in rainy conditions.

"The pilot's decision to depart was influenced by an incomplete understanding of the weather, familiarity with the route, time pressure and a personal desire to complete the flight," the board said in its report published Wednesday.

"When the pilot encountered clouds and reduced visibility, for unknown reasons, he decided to continue the flight toward the destination and, subsequently, the aircraft collided with terrain in the cruise altitude."

The board did not make any safety recommendations.