Featured Maps: 1960 Collision Over New York (16 December 2010)

Fifty years ago, United Airlines flight 826 (DC-8-11 N8013U Mainliner Will Rogers, SN 45290 / LN 22), flying from Chicago O'Hare to New York's Idlewild Airport collided with TWA flight 266 (L-1049 Super Constellation N6907C Star of Sicily, SN 4021), flying from Dayton to LaGuardia via Columbus. The collision occurred at 10:33 am in clouds 5,200 feet AMSL over Staten Island.

The TWA Super Constellation broke into three major pieces with much of the wreckage crashing into the northwest corner of Miller Army Air Field, killing all 39 passengers and 5 crew. The United DC-8 continued for approximately 9 nautical miles before crashing into into the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, killing 76 passengers, 7 crew, and 6 people on the ground. The only survivor was 11-year old Stephen Baltz, who succumbed to his injuries the next day.

The 134 fatalities made it the deadliest US aviation accident at the time. The accident was also notable for being the first time that a flight recorder (from the United DC-8) was used in the investigation of an airline accident.

Additional information:

• 1960 New York air disaster – Wikipedia
• Park Slope Plane Crash | A Collision in the Clouds – New York Times
• ASN Aircrat accident Douglas DC-8-11 N8013U New York, NY
• ASN Aircrat accident Lockheed L-1049 Super Consteallation N6907C Miller Army Air Station, NY