[2][1][4] A few minutes later, a call was received at the airbase from the sheriff of Lakewood, Washington stating that an air crash had occurred south of the city.

The fuselage split in two upon impact, debris scattered over two hundred yards, and the spilled fuel ignited, causing a significant fire.

When the crew encountered very thick fog during the approach and decided to divert to Malmstrom Air Base, the aircraft's nose was sharply raised to gain altitude, and the engines were set to maximum power.

3 occurred unexpectedly, significantly reducing the overall thrust, and the aircraft could no longer climb, continuing to fly at low altitude.

As it flew over a hill, the C-54 was flying very low when it struck two fir trees about 100 feet (approximately 30 meters) high, causing it to lose speed and subsequently crash to the ground.