[3] The aircraft departed Midway Airport[4] at 3:50 pm, CST, carrying 33 passengers, 4 crewmembers, 800 US gallons (3,000 L; 670 imp gal) of fuel, and 1,038 pounds (471 kg) of baggage.

[1][2] Weather reports received prior to departure indicated relatively clear conditions with a few scattered rain showers en route in the vicinity of La Crosse, Wisconsin and Rochester, Minnesota.

At 4:55 pm, the aircraft reported its position over La Crosse, Wisconsin, about 125 miles (201 km) southeast of Minneapolis.

[1] The last communication made with the flight was a 4:59 pm report from the pilot that the aircraft had passed the 7,000-foot (2,100 m) altitude level.

[5] Some local farmers said that the plane seemed to barrel roll, but also observed that while rainfall was significant, winds were relatively light.

[5] In its August 30, 1948, edition, The New York Times reported: The crash occurred on Sutters Ridge, between Winona and Fountain City, Wis., on the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi.

The large sections were located in a straight line with a bearing of 335°, approximating the intended flight path.

The sides of the ravine were so steep, rescuers formed a human chain to carry the passengers' remains 150 feet (50 m) up the rocky crevice.

[1] The CAB report concluded: [D]ue to the high local stress concentrations of this particular design of the attachment fitting, fatigue cracks had developed in the attachment fitting which so weakened the structure as to cause failure of the complete outer wing panel under the stress of the severe turbulence encountered in the thunderstorm.

Glenn Martin, president of the aircraft manufacturing corporation, dismissed the lawsuit as a mere formality, a bit of meaningless legal maneuvering to appease disagreeing insurance companies.

[1] It was Northwest Orient Airlines's worst air disaster at the time, and the first accident in over a billion miles of flight.