1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision
An artist's impression of United Airlines Flight 718 colliding with TWA Flight 2.
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| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | June 30, 1956 |
| Summary | Mid-air collision |
| Site | 21,000 feet above the Grand Canyon |
| Total fatalities | 128 (all) |
| Total survivors | 0 |
| First aircraft | |
 A United Airlines Douglas DC-7, similar to the one involved. |
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| Type | Douglas DC-7 Mainliner |
| Name | Mainliner Vancouver |
| Operator | United Airlines |
| Registration | N6324C |
| Flight origin | Los Angeles Int'l Airport |
| Destination | Chicago Midway Airport |
| Passengers | 53 |
| Crew | 5 |
| Fatalities | 58 (all) |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Second aircraft | |
 Star of the Seine over the Grand Canyon, several years before the incident |
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| Type | Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation |
| Name | Star of the Seine |
| Operator | Trans World Airlines |
| Registration | N6902C |
| Flight origin | Los Angeles Int'l Airport |
| Destination | Kansas City Downtown Airport |
| Passengers | 64 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 70 (all) |
| Survivors |
0 |
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1956 Grand Canyon TWA–United Airlines Aviation Accident Site
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| Location | Grand Canyon |
| NRHP Reference # | 14000280 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | April 23, 2014 |
| Designated NHL | April 23, 2014 |
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The 1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision occurred on Saturday, June 30, 1956, at 10:30 am Pacific Standard Time when a United Airlines Douglas DC-7 struck a Trans World Airlines Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation over the Grand Canyon within the boundaries of Grand Canyon National Park, resulting in the crash of both airliners. All 128 on board both flights perished. It was the first commercial airline crash to result in more than 100 deaths, and led to sweeping changes in the control of flights in the United States. The location of the crash has been designated a National Historic Landmark.
Trans World Airlines Flight 2, a Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation named Star of the Seine, with Captain Jack Gandy, First Officer James Ritner, and Flight Engineer Forrest Breyfogle, departed Los Angeles at 9:01 am PST with 64 passengers (including 11 TWA off-duty employees on free tickets) and six crew members (including two flight attendants and an off-duty flight engineer), and headed to Kansas City Downtown Airport, 31 minutes behind schedule. Flight 2, initially flying under instrument flight rules (IFR), ascended to an authorized altitude of 19,000 feet and stayed in controlled airspace as far as Daggett, California. At Daggett, Captain Gandy turned right to a heading of 059 degrees magnetic, toward the radio range near Trinidad, Colorado. The Constellation was now "off airways"—that is, flying in uncontrolled airspace.
United Airlines Flight 718, a Douglas DC-7 Mainliner named Mainliner Vancouver, and flown by Captain Robert Shirley, First Officer Robert Harms, and Flight Engineer Gerard Fiore, departed Los Angeles International Airport at 9:04 am PST with 53 passengers and five crew members aboard (including two flight attendants), bound for Chicago's Midway Airport. Climbing to an authorized altitude of 21,000 feet, Captain Shirley flew under IFR in controlled airspace to a point northeast of Palm Springs, California, where he turned left toward a radio beacon near Needles, California, after which his flight plan was direct to Durango in southwestern Colorado. The DC-7, although still operating under IFR, was now, like the Constellation, flying in uncontrolled airspace.
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Wikipedia