After one engine failed in mid-flight, a series of critical mistakes by the flight crew caused the pilot to lose control of the plane during the final approach to a routine stopover at Love Field in Dallas, Texas.

After reducing power and attempting corrective measures, the flight crew shut down the engine and feathered the propeller near Altheimer, Arkansas.

[3] Engine failures were considered fairly routine events on piston-engined airliners in the 1940s, so the crew elected to continue the flight to Dallas, and Captain Claude announced to the passengers that they would switch to another airplane upon arrival.

4 engine's fuel pressure was zero and its RPM was dropping, and he feathered the prop, hoping that the resulting reduction in drag would help the airplane accelerate and climb.

[6] However, with the flaps down and only two of the four engines working, the DC-6 did not accelerate; it continued to drop, headed on a path crossing Runway 36 approximately 40 degrees to the left.

The craft then struck the ground, broke into several pieces, and turned sideways as it slid across Love Field Drive, finally coming to rest after plowing into a building owned by the American Magnaflux Corporation.

[1][2][5] The 15 surviving passengers escaped in the initial seconds after the crash, scrambling through a gaping hole in the forward fuselage and through the emergency exit doors over the wings.

[2] The remaining 25 passengers and two flight attendants were trapped in the wreck as the flames quickly grew too intense to allow any rescue attempts.

The CAB concluded that there were no factors present that would compel the crew to land immediately despite the sloppy approach, such as rapidly deteriorating weather or a shortage of fuel.