KSUB Archives: 1956 Grand Canyon Mid-Air Collision – Interview with Prof. William Waldock

The 1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision occurred on Saturday, June 30, 1956, at 1131a, MST. United Airlines Flight 718, a Douglas DC-7, collided with Trans World Airlines (TWA) Flight 2, a Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation, over Grand Canyon National Park.

All 128 passengers and crew aboard both flights perished in the crash. This incident marked the first commercial airline disaster with over 100 fatalities and prompted significant advancements in air traffic control and aviation safety protocols in the United States. Today, the crash site is recognized as a National Historic Landmark.

(Unknown artist's rendition of 1956 Grand Canyon mid-air crash from Wikimedia.)

United Airlines Flight 718, was a Douglas DC-7.  It carried 58 individuals, including 53 passengers and 5 crew members. The crew included of pilot Robert F. Shirley, co-pilot Robert W. Harms, and flight engineer Gerard Fiore.

Trans World Airlines Flight 2 was a Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation.  It carried 70 people, including 64 passengers and 6 crew members. The crew included pilot Jack S. Gandy, co-pilot James H. Ritner, and flight engineer Forrest D. Breyfogle.

Professor William Waldock of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, is a U.S aviation safety expert, investigator and historian of aviation safety.  He calls the 1956 Grand Canyon mid-air the most significant single aviation crash in U.S. history.  This catastrophic event highlighted the urgent need for improved airspace management and led to the modernization of air traffic control systems and radar, and contributed significantly to the eventual formation of the FAA.

Here is our conversation from July 1, 2014, a day after the 58th anniversary of the crash.