WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Park Service has designated the 1956 TWA-United Airlines aviation accident site in Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona as a national historic landmark.
On June 30, 1956, a Trans World Airlines Super Constellation L-1049 and a United Airlines DC-7 collided in uncongested airspace 21,000 feet over the Grand Canyon in Arizona, killing all 128 people onboard the two flights.
The tragedy spurred an unprecedented effort to modernize and increase safety in America’s postwar airways, culminating in the establishment of the modern FAA.
Other improvements that resulted from the crash included nationwide radar coverage, a common military/civilian navigation system, and the development of technologies such as collision avoidance systems and flight data recorders.
The National Historic Landmarks Program, established in 1935, is administered by the National Park Service on behalf of the Secretary of the Interior. The agency works with preservation officials, private property owners, and other partners interested in nominating properties for National Historic Landmark designation.
Completed nominations are reviewed by the National Park System Advisory Board, which makes recommendations for designation to the Secretary of the Interior. If selected, property ownership remains intact but each site receives a designation letter and technical preservation advice.
For more information: NPS.gov.
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In the summer of 1974,my brother and I picked up my brand new Cessna 177 R/G in wichita,KS and flew it back to west coast,we flew right over the grand canyon,that was before the 14,500 ft.flight restriction.Wow,what a site!
It is a very solemn place. Hard to visualize that so many lives were lost in a second. Each time I fly close to it ,I get a certain feeling.