June 30, 1956: Trans World Airlines / United Air Lines, Lockheed L-1049 (N6902C) / Douglas DC-7 (N6324C) Mid-Air Collision, Grand Canyon, AZ
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. At the time it was the worst air 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.
A fragment of the Constellation's fuselage. (LostFlights Archive Photo)
TWA Flight 2 impacted the north slope of a ravine on the northeast corner of Temple Butte. A majority of the aircraft cabin burned at the bottom of the ravine.
RECOVERY OPERATIONS - JULY 1956
Recovery team including officials from United Air Lines prepare for takeoff in a Army H-21 Piasecki Helicopter. (Time)
Officials atop the 1,000 foot ledge of Chuar Butte recovering victims from United's Flight 718. (LA Times Photo)
Recovery teams await Army helicopter at the landing site on Temple Butte. Full body bags in foreground. (LIFE)
This July 1956 photo shows the Constellation's severed tail section as seen from the TWA impact site. (LIFE)
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. (LostFlights Archive Photo)
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)
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. (LostFlights Archive 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)
Army crews setting up a base camp below Chuar Butte during the July 1956 recovery. (LA Times Photo)
Recovery teams set up a hoist line across the crevasse on Chuar Butte.
The hoist line was used to bring victim remains as well as wreckage to the upper ledge for easier and safer recovery. (LA Times Photo)
Volunteer climber from the Rocky Mountain Climbing Club. (LA Times Photo)
Recovery operations on Chuar Butte were often very hazardous. Not only with terrain but with July temperatures exceeding 110 degrees. (LA Times Photo)
These volunteer climbers and recovery team members were flown in from Colorado and Switzerland by request from United Air Lines to help in the recovery of victims from United Flight 718 atop Chuar Butte. (LA Times Photo)
Many key pieces of wreckage selected by investigators were brought out of the canyon for study. (LIFE)
CAB Accident Investigator, Jack Parshall supervises wreckage taken to a restricted building in Flagstaff for inspection. (LIFE)
This piece of collision related wreckage from the TWA Constellation bears a painted red stripe. It was recovered by investigators from the UAL DC-7 impact site. (LostFlights Archive Photo)
Air disaster victims brought into Grand Canyon Red Butte Airport prior to be driven or flown to the morgue in Flagstaff. (LIFE)
Relatives of Mrs. Leland Evans, a passenger from TWA Flight 2 speaks with U.S. Air Force Captain Byrd Ryland. Capt. Ryland was Commander of the combined search operation for the missing airliners.
Pictured from left to right are Edwin Evans, Arnold Evans and Roy Elder. Mrs. Evans husband was a test pilot for TWA. She was traveling on a company pass. (LostFlights Archive Photo)
the last of Flight 2's victims are loaded onto a TWA DC-3 for the short flight from Grand Canyon Red Butte Airport to Flagstaff. (LostFlights Archive Photo)
RECOVERED AIR MAIL
United States Postal Inspector in Flagstaff sorting through mail recovered from the wreckage of TWA Flight 2. (LIFE)
A recovered crash victim awaits an eastbound train at the Flagstaff Depot.
Only 3 of the 70 passengers and crew from TWA Flight 2 could be identified by a team of coroners and FBI forensic experts. Only half of the 58 passengers and crew from UAL Flight 718 would be returned to their families. (Life)
A variety of helicopters were used in the recovery operation and all were put to the test in the canyon's strong gusty winds and high summer temperatures. (NPS Photo)
RECOVERY OPERATIONS - OCTOBER 1956:
During October 1956 the CAB chartered two Bell 47 helicopters to remove wreckage that were considered key to the accident investigation.
With seasonal temperatures in the canyon much cooler, the wreckage recovery operation was not only a success but safer. (LostFlights Archive Photo)
A Bell 47 helicopter lifting the DC-7's port wingtip from Temple Butte. This fragment would later be used to determine the angle that the two airliners collided. (LostFlights Archive Photo)
Matching paint smudges and bends in metal allowed investigators to determine the angles of the collision. In this CAB photo we can see how the DC-7's left wingtip made contact with the Constellation's outer vertical tail fin. (Life)
After the accident and years later, it was common to see large pieces of wreckage like this DC-7 horizontal stabilizer located near the river.
Even though the area of the crash sites were closed off to the public, commercial river guides would still allow their clients to walk up to the wreckage for photos. (1957 NAU Collection)
TWA TAIL SECTION IMPACT SITE - 1972
Over time, park rangers would push the Constellation's tail and vertical fins further into "crash canyon" as seen in this photo from 1972. The purpose was to conceal the wreckage from rafters and hikers at river level. This however did not stop curious river runners. (LostFlights Archive Photo)
In this photo, the red paint is beginning to fade on the Constellation's left tail fin and rudder assembly. (LostFlights Archive Photo)
TWA IMPACT SITE - 1972
The main impact site of TWA Flight 2 was virtually untouched for 16 years when this photo was taken of the site during the summer of 1972. (LostFlights Archive Photo)
This photo was taken from the bottom of the ravine while looking up the north slope towards the point of initial impact. (LostFlights Archive Photo)
Lower fuselage fragment at TWA main impact site. (LostFlights Archive Photo)
Photo shows large upper fuselage fragment. Left of photo is a main landing gear strut. (LostFlights Archive Photo)
As can be seen in this photo from 1972, a majority of the TWA wreckage remained at the site. It was during this time that environmental groups such as the Sierra Club were insisting that the park service clean up the crash sites. (LostFlights Archive Photo)
This pile of debris in the burn area of the TWA site contains a few identifiable items such as a supplemental oxygen bottle, passenger seat frames, and engine exhaust fittings.
Based on the types of melted alloys found at the site, it has been estimated that tempertures reached in excess of 1,800 degrees as the wreckage burned. (LostFlights Archive Photo)
This section of cabin structure was one of the largest fragments at the TWA main impact site. (LostFlights Archive Photo)
The remains of passenger seats in the form of twisted seat frames piled in the foreground of this photo gives testimony to the human toll of TWA Flight 2. (LostFlights Archive Photo)
The remains of once was two functional Wright R-3350 engines lay lifeless amid the burned and melted wreckage at the TWA impact site. (LostFlights Archive Photo)
The escalating prices of reusable metals coupled by the push to cleanup america's public lands during the early to mid 1970's made the 1956 TWA/UAL crash site a prime target for removal.
The corner of visible red and white paint on this debris identifies this fragment as coming from the Constellation's fuselage. (LostFlights Archive Photo)
TWA impact site. (LostFlights Archive Photo)
