[4] Flight 55 departed Anchorage International Airport on Monday, December 2, at 8:46 am AKST, and proceeded 150 miles (240 km) southwest to Iliamna without reported difficulties.

Local witnesses reported hearing an explosion and seeing a fireball in the vicinity of the aircraft's tail before it descended in a steep, uncontrolled spiral towards the ground.

[4] Bodies had been scattered across a large area, and local Athabascan villagers volunteered to guard the remains from wolves until they could be collected and taken to the temporary morgue.

[4] The NTSB investigation lasted 19 months,[1] and it was discovered that a number of fatigue cracks had formed on the aircraft's wings due to improper and shoddy maintenance.

[3] The stresses due to turbulence and air pressure caused a structural failure in the aircraft's right wing, forcing it into a spiraling, uncontrollable dive.