According to witnesses, the P-63F executed a high-speed descending banked turn onto the runway approach, colliding with the B-17 and causing both planes to break apart and burst into flames.

The B-17 involved was Texas Raiders, a Douglas Long Beach–built B-17G-95-DL, aircraft registration number N7227C, which first entered service in 1945 and was operated by American Airpower Heritage Flying Museum.

[3][4] The second aircraft involved was a P-63F-1-BE Kingcobra registered N6763, which was also operated by American Airpower Heritage Flying Museum.

Concurrently, the fighters were directed to adopt a trail formation—where wingmen fly below and behind the lead aircraft—and advance along the 500-foot (150 m) show line, positioning themselves in front of the bomber formation.

[citation needed] The apparent intent, according to a pilot observing the action from the ground, was to put themselves in front of the bomber.

[9] All six crew members on board both aircraft were killed, making it the Commemorative Air Force's first fatal accident in 17 years.

[13] The five fatalities aboard the B-17 were: Terry Michael Barker, Kevin Dimitri "K5" Michels, Daniel Alexander Ragan, Leonard Lloyd "Len" Root and Curtis James Rowe.

Hutain started flying as a child with his father, a World War II veteran, and was a pilot for the "Tora!

[16] Kevin "K5" Michels, the youngest of the deceased, was an active member of the Commemorative Air Force acting as historian, media representative and tour supervisor for the organization.

[16][18] Dan Ragan was a U.S. Navy veteran of the Korean War, who served as a radio operator in the 1950s on the naval variant of the B-17, which was designated PB-1W.

[20][16] Following the crash, both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) launched investigations into the accident.