ACCIDENT SYNOPSIS:
June 30, 1956. Two transcontinental airliners departed three minutes apart from Los Angeles International Airport in California. Trans World Airlines Flight 2, (N6902C), a Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation en-route to Kansas City, MO and then continuing to Baltimore/Washington D.C. TWA Flight 2 carried 70 passengers and crew, many of which were TWA employees and families traveling on company passes. United Air Lines Flight 718 was a Douglas DC-7, (N6324C) bound for Chicago, IL with 58 passengers and crew.
Based on their destinations and routes, both aircraft would be flying converging courses to their destinations; however a request for altitude change by TWA Flight 2 due to weather brought both aircraft to fly at a cruising altitude of 21,000 feet.
At 1030 AM (PST), both aircraft collided over eastern the Grand Canyon in Northern Arizona. There were no warnings, no alerts, and no survivors among the 128 persons. Only a garbled distress call received from United flight 718 would give any hint of a problem.
After an hour of repeated calls from air traffic control, the two flights were officially reported as missing and overdue. A search for the airliners was initiated by several military and state agencies, but it was Palen Hudgin and his brother flying an air tour with Grand Canyon Airlines that would later recall seeing smoke near Temple Butte earlier in the day. The two returned before dark and confirmed the impact site of the TWA Constellation on the northeast slope of Temple Butte. Not far from the burning wreckage was the Constellation's distinctive triple tail smashed against the boulders.
Authorities acted quickly on the Hudgin's report of the downed aircraft and the following morning a military helicopter would not only confirm the brother's sighting, but also discovered the smoldering impact site of the DC-7 atop a 1,000 foot ledge of Chuar Butte. It was the worst disaster in the history of civil aviation.
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HISTORICAL SUMMARY:
The following photos depict this historical but tragic event in aviation history. As a result of this accident many improvements were made to the national airspace system such as nationwide radar coverage and ATC transponder requirements. After a series of congressional hearings, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was also created as a result of this tragedy.
Since 1990, I have made five trips into the Grand Canyon to map and document the impact sites and remaining wreckage. Each examination visit required a 6-7 day backpacking trip (40 miles) as well as a solo crossing by raft of the Colorado River to reach the sites. I am currently working in cooperation with the Grand Canyon National Park to help establish the entire crash site area as a National Historical Site which would further protect this historical resource.
June 30, 1956. Two transcontinental airliners departed three minutes apart from Los Angeles International Airport in California. Trans World Airlines Flight 2, (N6902C), a Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation en-route to Kansas City, MO and then continuing to Baltimore/Washington D.C. TWA Flight 2 carried 70 passengers and crew, many of which were TWA employees and families traveling on company passes. United Air Lines Flight 718 was a Douglas DC-7, (N6324C) bound for Chicago, IL with 58 passengers and crew.
Based on their destinations and routes, both aircraft would be flying converging courses to their destinations; however a request for altitude change by TWA Flight 2 due to weather brought both aircraft to fly at a cruising altitude of 21,000 feet.
At 1030 AM (PST), both aircraft collided over eastern the Grand Canyon in Northern Arizona. There were no warnings, no alerts, and no survivors among the 128 persons. Only a garbled distress call received from United flight 718 would give any hint of a problem.
After an hour of repeated calls from air traffic control, the two flights were officially reported as missing and overdue. A search for the airliners was initiated by several military and state agencies, but it was Palen Hudgin and his brother flying an air tour with Grand Canyon Airlines that would later recall seeing smoke near Temple Butte earlier in the day. The two returned before dark and confirmed the impact site of the TWA Constellation on the northeast slope of Temple Butte. Not far from the burning wreckage was the Constellation's distinctive triple tail smashed against the boulders.
Authorities acted quickly on the Hudgin's report of the downed aircraft and the following morning a military helicopter would not only confirm the brother's sighting, but also discovered the smoldering impact site of the DC-7 atop a 1,000 foot ledge of Chuar Butte. It was the worst disaster in the history of civil aviation.
***********************************************************************************************************************************
HISTORICAL SUMMARY:
The following photos depict this historical but tragic event in aviation history. As a result of this accident many improvements were made to the national airspace system such as nationwide radar coverage and ATC transponder requirements. After a series of congressional hearings, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was also created as a result of this tragedy.
Since 1990, I have made five trips into the Grand Canyon to map and document the impact sites and remaining wreckage. Each examination visit required a 6-7 day backpacking trip (40 miles) as well as a solo crossing by raft of the Colorado River to reach the sites. I am currently working in cooperation with the Grand Canyon National Park to help establish the entire crash site area as a National Historical Site which would further protect this historical resource.
This July 1956 photo shows the Constellation's severed tail section as seen from the TWA impact site.
1956 aerial photo of the tail section from the TWA Constellation. Arrows point to the crumpled center fin and the two outer fins that broke off during impact with the ground. (AP Photo)
Closeup of the the Constellation tail section. (NPS Photo)
July 1956 photo showing park rangers posing with TWA tail section during the recovery operation.
Passenger coat with TWA ID Tag rests on Cape Solitude. One of the many light weight items pulled from the cabin of the Constellation during the collision and cabin decompression. Other items found on Cape Solitude included; aft lounge seat cushions, interior paneling, and cabin insulation. (Life)
UAL DC-7 MAIN IMPACT SITE:
Aerial view of the main impact site of United 718. More than 1,500 feet below on a river sandbar is an Army H-21 "Flying Banana" Helicopter. (Life)
Aerial view of the main impact site of United 718. More than 1,500 feet below on a river sandbar is an Army H-21 "Flying Banana" Helicopter. (Life)
Utter devastation of United 718 on Chuar Butte. (AP Wirephoto)
This aerial photo was taken of the United impact site during the October 1956 CAB visit of the crash sites. (NPS Photo)
United Flight 718 aft fuselage fragment on Chuar Butte with lettering "DC-7 Mainliner". (NPS Photo)
One of eight mountain climbers from Switzerland who volunteered to help in the recovery operation on Chuar Butte. (Life)
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