Carranza took off after dark during a break in thunderstorms in the New York region. He reported before taking off that he would fly towards Washington and then steer a compass course from there. While flying over the Pinelands of southern New Jersey amidst thunderstorms, he crashed into the woods. Investigators from Fort Monmouth conducted the accident probe to determine what happened. They were able to determine the engine throttle was closed and the spark lever was in the advanced position. This showed he was attempting to land.