The plane, one of five practicing maneuvers over Malmstrom Air Force Base, broke from formation and plummeted Friday afternoon.

“It just smacked into the ground, and there was a big ball of flames,” said Gillian Scarber, who had been watching the rehearsal, according to the Great Falls Tribune.

Smoke drifted across the highway as emergency crews raced to the scene, she said. The cause of the crash was under investigation.

The Canadian military identified the pilot as Capt. Shawn McCaughey, 31, of Candiac, Quebec. He had been with the Snowbirds for two years, and was the sixth Snowbirds pilot killed in a crash since 1972.

Maj. Robert Mitchell, the Snowbirds’ commanding officer, said McCaughey was performing a “routine maneuver” — flying upside down about 300 feet (91 meters) off the ground — when his single-engine jet went down. McCaughey, the only person in the jet, did not eject.

The team had been in the air for about 45 minutes, said Mitchell, who was flying the lead plane. McCaughey made no radio contact and did not indicate he was having trouble, he said. “Shawn was a professional officer, talented pilot and dear friend,” Mitchell said. “Our team is devastated, and we will miss him.”

A Canadian Forces flight safety team was traveling Saturday to Montana to investigate the crash, and Snowbirds team members planned to remain at Malmstrom to help, he said.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the team, and our resources are at their disposal,” said Malmstrom’s wing commander, Col. Sandy Finan.

The Snowbirds perform high-speed, low-altitude maneuvers in nine Canadair CT-114 Tutors and are part of the Canadian Air Force.

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