What happened
On the day of the accident, two military aircraft were operating at high altitude near Stockton. The first aircraft, a Boeing B-29-70-BW Superfortress with registration 44-69939, was cruising at 26,000 feet with a total crew of 11. Flying approximately 1,000 feet above this plane was a second Boeing B-29-50-MO Superfortress, registered 44-86364, which was carrying 10 crew members.
The incident began when one of the engines on the upper aircraft failed. This mechanical issue caused the second plane to descend into the flight path of the first. The two aircraft collided while at flight level 260. Following the impact, both planes entered an uncontrolled descent toward the earth.
During the subsequent dive, three crew members managed to escape the wreckage via parachute: two from the first aircraft and one from the second. These three individuals landed safely without injury. However, the remaining 18 fatalities occurred when both aircraft struck a prairie area situated roughly 11 miles northwest of Stockton.
Findings
The collision was initiated by an engine failure on the higher-altitude aircraft, which led to a loss of altitude and subsequent interception of the lower aircraft's flight path.