1970 Wichita State Football Team Crash - Summit County, CO
Posted by: 
Outspoken1
N 39° 41.789 W 105° 52.417
13S E 425098 N 4394435
Crash in 1970 killed 31 of the 40 on board of the Wichita State University Football Team
Waymark Code: WM97ZD
Location: Colorado, United States
Date Posted: 07/11/2010
Views: 22
This tragedy was well covered by the news and witnesses as construction was underway at the Eisenhower Tunnel (originally the Straight Creek Tunnel) nearby. The crash was caused by the pilot's showing the beauty of the mountains to the passengers, but did not realize how low they were flying and that there was a adjacent mountain they needed to fly over. Rescue efforts were aided by contractors "heading up the mountain with a pair of Cat D-9 blades [large earth movers]. Access to that area was going to be extremely tough, and probably take hours. It was fortunate that the crash occurred right above the construction, and several guys climbed aboard the Cats which made a road to the crash site." (from (
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The memorial reads: "As time goes by, memories fade. But we will never forget..." and the it lists each of the victims of the crash. The bottom reads "The Wichita State football team and supporters who lost their lives on this mountain October 2, 1970 with a list of names of those who lost their lives." You may hike to N39° 41.595, W105° 52.914 to see wreckage (I was unable to do this since there was a Colorado spring snowstorm when I was there on June 12, 2010!).
The monument to the crash is adjacent to I-70 westbound.
There is now a large electronic information sign near the plaque which helps visitors find the location. You may park on the large shoulder of the highway. This is a place where you need to be careful since the extremely busy highway is always active.