At 7:43am on July 12, 1949, the flight, operated by a Curtiss C-46E (registered N79978[1]), crashed in Chatsworth, California, upon approach to Burbank, killing 35 of the 48 passengers and crew on board.

The Standard Air Lines aircraft was on a multi-stop flight from New York to Long Beach, California, via Chicago, Kansas City, Albuquerque and Burbank.

The aircraft was flying in level flight with the gear down, on an ILS approach to Hollywood-Lockheed Air Terminal (today called Burbank Airport) on a Tuesday morning.

The aircraft descended in patchy fog below the minimum altitude permitted and its right wing tip struck the side of a hill at 1,890 feet above sea level, pulling the plane around 90 degrees.

"[6] Members of the religious cult WKFL, led by Krishna Venta, were involved in the rescue operations, giving them national prominence.