On Monday July 1st 1956, Americans woke up to tune in their radios, channel in their T.V.’s, or unwrinkled their newspapers to horrific news. Gruesome headlines, and bewildered anchors spread the news that the unthinkable, and impossible happened the previous day. In the pristine and picturesque skies over the Grand Canyon in Arizona, tragedy struck in a way that would forever shock and change the world of aviation in ways never before imagined. Two airplanes collided unexpectedly in mid-air. The events leading up to the disaster, along with the proceeding investigations, would expose major flaws in aviation systems and give birth to new ideas and ways of thinking that would forge the aviation world, as we know it today. It turns out that the “big sky” wasn’t as big as everyone thought it to be.
On Saturday June 30th, a United Airlines Flight 718, a Douglass DC-7, awaited its final clearance to depart Los Angeles International Airport to …show more content…
to avoid the storm. The request was denied due to air traffic. Flight 2 then requested a clearance of 1,000 ft. “on top”, meaning that it would allow a clearance of 1,000 ft. above said air traffic, and was granted permission to ascend. At 9:59 a.m. Flight 2 sent out a call stating it had passed Lake Mohave and would pass the Painted Desert at 10:31. This would be the last radio communication between Flight 2 and ground control.
United Flight 718 took of from the same runway in Los Angeles at 9:04 a.m., only three minutes behind TWA Flight 2. 718 was to flight a VOR path from Los Angeles to Palm Springs, Needles to Durango, Pueblo to St. Joseph, and finally Joliet to Chicago Midway. The flight plan called for a true airspeed of 288 knots at an altitude of 21,000 ft. This was also a routine flight with 3,850 gallons of fuel and a takeoff weight of 105,835 pounds, well below that of the maximum allowable of 122,200
On Saturday June 30th, a United Airlines Flight 718, a Douglass DC-7, awaited its final clearance to depart Los Angeles International Airport to …show more content…
to avoid the storm. The request was denied due to air traffic. Flight 2 then requested a clearance of 1,000 ft. “on top”, meaning that it would allow a clearance of 1,000 ft. above said air traffic, and was granted permission to ascend. At 9:59 a.m. Flight 2 sent out a call stating it had passed Lake Mohave and would pass the Painted Desert at 10:31. This would be the last radio communication between Flight 2 and ground control.
United Flight 718 took of from the same runway in Los Angeles at 9:04 a.m., only three minutes behind TWA Flight 2. 718 was to flight a VOR path from Los Angeles to Palm Springs, Needles to Durango, Pueblo to St. Joseph, and finally Joliet to Chicago Midway. The flight plan called for a true airspeed of 288 knots at an altitude of 21,000 ft. This was also a routine flight with 3,850 gallons of fuel and a takeoff weight of 105,835 pounds, well below that of the maximum allowable of 122,200