GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Another fatal crash for the famed Canadian forces aerobatic team – this time in Great Falls, Montana as the team practised for a weekend air show.

"They were practising manoeuvres, and this plane, this Snowbird 2, left its formation and shortly after that pitched down and crashed," said Allen Kenitzer, a regional spokesman for the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.

"The pilot, the sole occupant, did not eject and he was fatally injured."

"I can confirm for you that one Snowbird CT-114 Tutor jet has crashed near Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls, Mont., this afternoon during a routine training mission," said Lieut. Jeff Noel as spokesperson for the team.

The pilot was identified by the air force as Capt. Shawn McCaughey, 30, of Candiac, Que., south of Montreal.

Eyewitnesses report the team was flying in formation before one jet left the group and crashed around 4 p.m. Central Time.