1956 Grand Canyon Accident - Desert View, Grand Canyon National Park, AZ - Plane Crash Sites on Waymarking.com

Desert View is the nearest location accessible to the crash site.

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.

As the two aircraft approached the Grand Canyon, flying at the same altitude and nearly the same speed, the pilots were most likely maneuvering around towering cumulus clouds. As they were maneuvering near the canyon, it is believed the planes simultaneously passed the same cloud formation on opposite sides, setting the stage for the collision.

At about 10:30 AM the flight paths of the two aircraft intersected over the canyon, and they collided at a closing angle of about 25 degrees.

Explosive decompression would have occurred instantaneously from the damage, a theory substantiated by light debris (such as cabin furnishings and personal effects) being scattered over a large area.

The Constellation slammed into the north slope of a ravine located on the northeast slope of Temple Butte and disintegrated on impact, instantly killing Captain Gandy, and all of the passengers and crew.

The Mainliner collided with the south side cliff of Chuar Butte and exploded, killing all of the passengers, Captain Shirley and the other two pilots instantly.

There were neither homing beacons nor "black boxes" (cockpit voice and flight data recorders) aboard either aircraft. Also, there were no credible witnesses to the collision itself or the subsequent crashes. The only immediate indication of trouble was when United company radio operators in Salt Lake City and San Francisco heard a garbled transmission from Flight 718, the last from either aircraft. Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) accident investigation engineers later deciphered the transmission—which had been preserved on magnetic tape—as the voice of co-pilot Robert Harms declaring, "Salt Lake, [ah], 718 ... we are going in!" The shrill voice of Captain Shirley was heard in the background as, futilely struggling with the controls, he implored the plane to "[Pull] up! [Pull] up!" (bracketed words were inferred by investigators from the context and circumstances in which they were uttered).

The wreckage was first seen late in the day near the confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado Rivers by Henry and Palen Hudgin, two brothers who operated Grand Canyon Airlines, a small air taxi service.

Numerous helicopter missions were subsequently flown down to the crash sites to find and attempt to identify victims, as well as recover wreckage for accident analysis, a difficult and dangerous process due to the rugged terrain and unpredictable air currents.

Owing to the exceptional severity of the ground impacts, no bodies were recovered intact, and positive identification of most of the remains was not possible.

With 128 fatalities, the Grand Canyon collision became the deadliest U.S. commercial airline disaster and deadliest air crash on U.S. soil of any kind. The accident was covered by the press worldwide; as the story unfolded the public learned how primitive Air Traffic Control (ATC) was and how little was being done to modernize it.

The air traffic controller who had cleared TWA to "1,000 on top" was severely criticized, as he had not advised Captains Gandy and Shirley about the potential for a traffic conflict following the clearance, even though he must have known of the possibility. The controller was publicly blamed for the accident by both airlines and was vilified in the press, but he was cleared of any wrongdoing.

As near-misses and mid-air collisions continued, the public demanded action. Often-contentious congressional hearings followed, and in 1957 increased funding was allocated to modernize ATC, hire and train more air traffic controllers, and procure much-needed radar—initially military surplus equipment.

After more hearings the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 was passed, dissolving the CAA and creating the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA, later renamed the Federal Aviation Administration in 1966). The FAA was given total authority over American airspace, including military activity, and as procedures and ATC facilities were modernized, air collisions gradually subsided.

Web Address for Related Web Sites: [Web Link] Date of Crash: 06/30/1956 Aircraft Model: Douglas DC-7/Lockheed L-1049 Military or Civilian: Civilian Tail Number: N6902C (TWA Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation) / N6324C (United Air Lines Douglas DC-7) Cause of Crash: Pilot Error

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