Arizona Saw One of the Deadliest Mid-Air Collisions in the U.S.

We know there have been horrible aviation disasters in Texas but one of the worst to ever occur in the United States over the skies of Arizona on June 30, 1956. Two planes left the Los Angeles International Airport and would collide in mid-air. Where you may ask? Over the Grand Canyon...

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The 1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision

Our story starts at LAX with Trans World Airlines Flight 2 leaving for Kansas City & United Airlines Flight 718 flying to Chicago. TWA Flight 2 was carrying 70 people on board, United Flight 718 was carrying 58 people.

After hitting some turbulence, The captain of TWA Flight 2, Captain Jack Gandy, requested clearance to fly at 21,000 feet to avoid looming thunderheads along their flight path. Air traffic control (ATC) granted their permission, not realizing that the United flight was ALSO flying at 21,000 feet. Now both planes were at the same height...unaware they were flying towards the same area.

The last call ATC received from either plane was at 9:59am; at 11:51 am still no contact was made from either the TWA or United plane so a missing aircraft alert went out. After a search was made, it didn't take long to find out what happened as smoke could be seeing rising from the canyon floor. It was clear what happened at that point. Even to this day, people still find wreckage from both planes found at the Grand Canyon.

Sadly, it's impossible to know EXACTLY what happened on the plane (as cockpit voice recorders weren't mandated to be included in every plane until 1965). However, scientists were able to come up with a possibility of what MIGHT have led to the crash.

Today a memorial & a landmark plaque can be seen at the Grand Canyon to remember all 128 victims of the 1956 mid-air collision. You can find this memorial at the Desert View Point.

Never forget the 128 people we lost during that tragic day.

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