The Commander was sheared nearly in half by the collision, while Flight 628 spiraled mostly intact towards the ground, ultimately crashing north of the airport in a hilly and rural area off Highway 1, scattering flaming wreckage which ignited a 20 acre brush fire that was quickly contained.

Emergency services, including a helicopter, arrived on the scene and recovered the remains of the occupants from both planes.

The badly mangled bodies were brought to local mortuaries that evening, where an FBI disaster team would attempt to identify the remains.

[4] The Beechcraft C-99 Commuter involved, N6399U (msn U-187) was built in 1982 and in service of Wings West Airlines at the time of the accident.

The Rockwell Commander 112 involved, N112SM was owned by the Aesthetech Corporation flight school at the time of the accident.