December 16, 1960 In Brooklyn And Staten Island

[EE Broadway Local]

It was the worst aviation disaster in U.S.A. history and, likely, one of the most horrendous and the disaster spurred better air safety. It was the first air disaster where investigators made extensive use of the black boxes.

 

On Friday December 16, 1960, United Airlines Flight 826 was enroute from Chicago O'Hare to Idlewild; TWA Flight 266 was enroute from Dayton and Columbus Ohio to La Guardia. Each flight never reached their destination.

 

At 10:33am EST, approximately one mile west of Miller Field on Staten Island, and one mile above New York City, United Airlines Flight 826 and TWA Flight 266 collided in mid-air.

 

The TWA Constellation crashed into Miller Field, disintegrating as it spiraled down. The United DC-8 continued on for a short distance - it crashed in Park Slope at Seventh Avenue and Sterling Place and set fire to ten brownstone apartment buildings, The Pillar Of Fire Church, McCaddin Funeral Home, a Chinese Laundry, and a deli.

 

134 people died, including six on the ground. Intially, there was one survivor, eleven year old Stephen Baltz, but it wasn't meant to be and he left us the next morning.

 

An official monument in Greenwood Cemetary was unveiled yesterday which features a story of that day's events and a list of all 134 victims.

 

Flight paths of the two doomed airliners:

 

Story from the Salt Lake City Tribune: http://www.sltrib.com/world/50882230-68/stephen-crash-1960-aviation.html.csp

 

Story and Video from NY1 about the monunment that was unveiled yesterday in Brooklyn: http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/130719/ceremony-marks-50th-anniversary-of-plane-crash

[IRT Bronx Express]

Yep, I read about the Flight 826 disaster years ago. Really sad indeed...

 

BTW, here's a newspaper article about that day.

[theaveragejoe]

never heard this story before, wow very sad