The F6F was being ferried to the west coast and flown along an airway while a B-25 crew practicing instrument flight intersected the airway. The F6F struck the tail of the B-25 and spiraled to the ground. Ensign Russell Chitwood bailed out of the F6F only 200 feet above the ground and did not survive the jump. The B-25 was able to safely land at Douglas Army Air Field.