Grand Canyon Airliner Collision To Be Commemorated

Above, the general area where the two airliners fell after the collision. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Four days from today will be the 70th anniversary of the airline collision over the Grand Canyon. Commemoration events will take place.

The mid-air collision of two airliners led to the formation of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). 

According to the Grand Canyon Historical Society:

On June 30, 2026, the 70th anniversary of the 1956 mid-air collision will be recognized with a memorial service at Grand Canyon. This will be an all-day event starting at 9 a.m. at the Desert View Overlook amphitheater.  First, talks at the overlook. Next, a visit to the Pioneer Cemetery in Grand Canyon Village. At 3 p.m. an "Ask The Experts" panel will present at Shrine of the Ages. The days event will end at 6 p.m.

On July 1, a visit to Flagstaff Citizens’ Cemetery from 10:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. where victims will be recognized who perished on TWA Flight 2. There will be lectures given and a time for questions and answers.

Join us to recognize this tragic, historic event. The Patrons of the 1956 Midair Collision is the primary organizer of this event.

If one visits the Desert View Overlook at Grand Canyon National Park, they will see permanent plaques detailing the tragedy. 

Above, the description of the tragedy at Desert View. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

From Wikipedia:

On June 30, 1956, a Lockheed L-1049A Super Constellation operating as TWA Flight 2, was struck by a Douglas DC-7 Mainliner operating as United Air Lines Flight 718 over Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. The Constellation fell into the canyon, while the DC-7 slammed into a cliff. All 128 people on board both aircraft died, making it the first commercial airline incident to exceed one hundred fatalities. Both aircraft had departed Los Angeles International Airport minutes apart from each other and headed for Chicago and Kansas City, respectively. The collision took place in uncontrolled airspace, where it was the pilots' responsibility to maintain separation ("see and be seen"). This highlighted the antiquated state of air traffic control, which became the focus of major aviation reforms.

 

Above, the memorial plaque at Desert View overlook. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Carole Lombard Crash Site

Above, Clark Gable and Carole Lombard.

Back in January 2015, bought the book, Fireball: Carole Lombard and the Mystery of Flight 3 by Robert Marzan. It was the story of the January 16, 1942 crash of TWA Flight 3 into Mount Potosi after taking off from McCarran Field in Las Vegas killing actress Carole Lombard, her mother, Clark Gable's assistant Otto Winkler (Gable was married to Lombard at the time) and 21 others.

When the DC-3 crashed, the fireball from Mount Potosi was seen 40 miles away. 

A few months later, I was in Las Vegas and on the way home on Interstate 15, I took several photos of Mount Potosi from the side of the interstate.

I was reading the book this evening and then took a look at the photos of the peak that I took. Using photos from the book and other photos online as references, I pinpointed the crash site on the silhouette of the mountain. I circled the location on one of my photos and it is below.

Above, the crash site of TWA Flight 3 is at the circle on Mount Potosi. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The DC-3 is still at the crash site and, occasionally, hikers still find pieces of human remains. Lombard's wedding ring has never been found. Her body was found with her left arm missing. Gable did offer a reward to anyone who finds the ring. 

An expanded edition of Marzan's book was published in 2017, which I also bought. 

Fireball: Carole Lombard and the Mystery of Flight 3 Expanded Edition

Above, a vintange photo of the El Rancho Vegas.

Yesterday, after taking care of business at the Gallup office of the Motor Vehicle Division, on the way home I stopped at the Flying J to pick up my mail.

I received a package from Amazon of the expanded edition of Fireball: Carole Lombard and the Mystery of Flight 3 (trade paperback) on the 1942 TWA place crash that killed actress Carole Lombard and 21 others.

I already have the hardcover edition, but new information and 32 pages of photos included in the expanded edition were too tempting to pass up. I started reading it last night.

One thing that intrigued me was the El Rancho Vegas Hotel where Lombard's husband Clark Gable waited while search and recovery operations were taking place on Mt. Potosi.

Above, a view of Mt. Potosi from Interstate 15. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The hotel opened during the previous year and was the biggest hotel in Las Vegas for many years. It was destroyed by a fire in 1960. It was located at 2500 Las Vegas Blvd. It looked like it was a fun place to stay.

Since it has been a while since I read the hardcover edition, I am enjoying reading the expanded edition. It is an excellent read!

1956 Grand Canyon Air Disaster Remembered

Above, the peaks at above center is where the two planes fell after colliding. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

While at Grand Canyon National Park today, I was at the Watchtower when I noticed a couple of markers about a 1956 airline disaster involving two passenger planes colliding over the Grand Canyon.

After reading them, I photographed both. I had been to the Watchtower before, but I don't recall hearing about this air disaster. The top one was placed in 2014. I don't know when the other was placed.

According to Wikipedia:

The 1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision occurred on Saturday, June 30, 1956 at 10:30 am Pacific Standard Time when a United Airlines Douglas DC-7 struck a Trans World Airlines Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation over the Grand Canyon within the boundaries of Grand Canyon National Park, resulting in the crash of both airliners. 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.

According to the top marker, this disaster led to the formation of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Got Me Some Readin' To Do

Good old Amazon. I ordered Fireball: Carole Lombard and the Mystery of Flight 3 the other day and it arrived today. It is about the January 16, 1942 crash of TWA Flight 3 that took the life of Mrs. Clark Gable, Carole Lombard and 21 other passengers.

The story about the crash on Mount Petosi (outside of Las Vegas, Nevada) has fascinated me ever since I read the book, Gable and Lombard back in the mid-1970s. Debris from the crash still sits on the side of Mount Petosi today and, presumably, some human remains.

I happened to be looking at YouTube videos about the crash a few nights ago and discovered that a book on the crash was published two years ago. So I ordered it.

Thumbing though it, I found the above photo of Eddie Mannix with Clark Gable and Al Menasco leaving the El Rancho Hotel in Las Vegas on Jan. 20, 1942. Eddie Mannix, Vice President of MGM, was later involved in the controversy involving his wife Toni and the death of Adventures of Superman star George Reeves.

Much has been written about Eddie Mannix and his health problems in the 1950s and 1960s. He apparently was in good enough health to make the rough trek up Mount Petosi to identify the remains of Carole Lombard. Gable was MGM's biggest contract star.

I got me some reading to do tonight.