The bus, carrying members of a Golden Age Club on an overnight leaf peeping trip, had traveled on Quebec Highways 138 and 362 from Saint-Bernard-de-Beauce headed for the Île aux Coudres. It was traveling down Côte des Éboulements, which had a steep hill with a sharp right turn at the base. The time was 1:45 pm, and the roads were dry and clear. The driver, André Desruisseaux, was unable to slow the bus to negotiate the curve, and the bus collided with the guardrail, smashed through it and plunged over 10 meters into a ravine. It landed, slid on its right side and came to rest beside an elevated railway line. The crash and fall slammed the occupants violently around the interior of the vehicle, injuring most of them fatally. No skid marks were found on the road at the site of the crash, leading authorities to immediately suspect brake failure. Witnesses also reported the smell of burning brake fluid coming from the bus.