Wichita State University football team plane crash
Encyclopedia
The Wichita State University football team plane crash refers to a 1970
plane crash. On Friday October 2 in that year, at 1:14 p.m., a Martin 4-0-4
aircraft flown by Golden Eagle Aviation crashed into a mountain eight miles west of Silver Plume
, Colorado
. The twin-engined propliner
carried 36 passengers and a crew of four; 29 were killed at the scene and two later died of their injuries while under medical care. It was one of a two-plane flight carrying the Wichita State University
football
team to Logan, Utah
, for a game against Utah State University
; the second aircraft flew a different route and arrived safely in Utah. Pilot error
s, including poor in-flight decisions and inadequate pre-flight planning, were officially reported as leading to the crash.
B, to be used to fly the team to its away games for the 1970 season.. The four-engined DC-6 was a larger, more powerful aircraft that could accommodate the entire team. Golden Eagle Aviation did not own the DC-6, but had a separate arrangement with the Jack Richards Aircraft Company to use it. After the agreements were made the DC-6 was damaged and was unavailable for use by the team. A pair of Martin 4-0-4s which had not flown since 1967 were re-certified for flight, and on October 2, 1970 these were ferried from the Jack Richards Aircraft Company facilities in Oklahoma City to Wichita, instead of a DC-6.
, Utah.
The two aircraft were dubbed "Gold" and "Black", after the team colors. "Gold", the plane that would crash, carried the starting players, coaches and boosters, while "Black" transported the backup players and other support personnel.
The President of Golden Eagle Aviation, Ronald G. Skipper, was the pilot flying "Gold". He was acting in the capacity of a First Officer because he did not have a type rating
on the Martin 4-0-4. During the flight to Denver he visited with passengers in the cabin, advising them that after refueling they would take a scenic route, near the Loveland ski resort
. The crew flying the other team aircraft, "Black", would adhere to the original flight plan
and take a more northerly route towards Wyoming after departing Denver, using a designated airway
. This planned route allowed more time to gain altitude for the climb over the Rocky Mountains.
s for the contemplated scenic route. The National Transportation Safety Board
(NTSB) investigation report stated the First Officer testified that he intended to use the charts to help point out landmarks and objects of interest to the passengers, and the report concluded the crew didn't allow enough time for the charts to be studied properly to avoid high terrain, before take off commenced.
After take-off in clear weather, the two planes took divergent paths away from Denver.
Shortly before the crash several witnesses described seeing a plane fly unusually low towards the Continental Divide
. Some witnesses located on higher mountainside locations, such as Loveland Pass
at 11,990 feet, reported seeing the plane flying below them. The overloaded aircraft, nearing Loveland Pass as it flew up Clear Creek Valley
, became trapped in a box canyon
and was unable to climb above the mountain ridges surrounding it on three sides, nor complete a reversal turn away from the sharply rising terrain. At 1:14 p.m. the "Gold" aircraft struck trees on Mount Trelease 1,600 feet below the summit and crashed. The NTSB report stated a belief that many on board survived the initial impact, based on the testimony of survivors and rescuers. The load of fuel on board did not explode immediately, allowing survivors to escape the wreckage, but the passenger cabin would eventually be consumed by an explosion before those still alive and trapped inside could escape. The dead included 29 passengers as well as the Captain and Flight Attendant. Two of the initial eleven survivors later died of their injuries.
allowing freshman players to fill out the squad, decided to continue the 1970 season; it was later designated the "Second Season."
Wichita and Utah State never met again. Wichita State ended varsity football after the 1986 season. Utah State is currently in the Western Athletic Conference
.
There have been other aircraft incidents involving American collegiate sports teams, including the Evansville basketball plane crash, a 1977 accident in Indiana where a chartered DC-3 carrying the entire University of Evansville
men's basketball team crashed near Evansville's Dress Regional Airport
. A total of 29 people were killed; including the entire team and the Head Coach Bobby Watson. A little over one month after the October 2 Wichita State accident, 75 players, coaches and staff of the Marshall University Thundering Herd football team would die in the crash of Southern Airways Flight 932 near Ceredo, West Virginia
.
built a memorial for those who had died from the crash called Memorial '70. Every year on October 2 at 9 am, a wreath is placed at this memorial.
A roadside memorial plaque listing the names of the victims is located near the Colorado crash site, adjacent westbound Interstate 70
, about one mile east of the Eisenhower Tunnel
.
Bill Cosby
and Monty Hall
hosted a fundraiser for the Wichita State and Marshall athletic departments after the crashes, from Wichita .
1970 in aviation
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1970:-January:* January 1 – Nord-Aviation, Sud-Aviation, and SEREB merge to form SNIAS .* January 31 – Mikhail Mil dies, aged 61-February:...
plane crash. On Friday October 2 in that year, at 1:14 p.m., a Martin 4-0-4
Martin 4-0-4
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Andrade, John. U.S. Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909. Leicester, UK: Midland Counties Publications, 1979, pp. 95, 217. ISBN 0-904597-22-9....
aircraft flown by Golden Eagle Aviation crashed into a mountain eight miles west of Silver Plume
Silver Plume, Colorado
The historic Town of Silver Plume is a Statutory Town located in Clear Creek County, Colorado, United States. Silver Plume is a former silver mining camp along Clear Creek in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. The twin-engined propliner
Propliner
A propliner is a large, propeller-driven airliner. Typically, the term is used for piston-powered airliners that flew before the beginning of the jet age, not for modern turbine-powered propeller airliners...
carried 36 passengers and a crew of four; 29 were killed at the scene and two later died of their injuries while under medical care. It was one of a two-plane flight carrying the Wichita State University
Wichita State University
Wichita State University is a NCAA Division I public university in Wichita, Kansas with selective admissions. WSU is one of six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The current president is Dr. Donald Beggs....
football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team to Logan, Utah
Logan, Utah
-Layout of the City:Logan's city grid originates from its Main and Center Street block, with Main Street running north and south, and Center east and west. Each block north, east, south, or west of the origin accumulates in additions of 100 , though some streets have non-numeric names...
, for a game against Utah State University
Utah State University
Utah State University is a public university located in Logan, Utah. It is a land-grant and space-grant institution and is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities....
; the second aircraft flew a different route and arrived safely in Utah. Pilot error
Pilot error
Pilot error is a term used to describe the cause of an accident involving an airworthy aircraft where the pilot is considered to be principally or partially responsible...
s, including poor in-flight decisions and inadequate pre-flight planning, were officially reported as leading to the crash.
Events leading up to the flight
About three months prior to the crash, Wichita State contracted Golden Eagle Aviation to supply a Douglas DC-6Douglas DC-6
The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and transport aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with the Lockheed Constellation in the long-range...
B, to be used to fly the team to its away games for the 1970 season.. The four-engined DC-6 was a larger, more powerful aircraft that could accommodate the entire team. Golden Eagle Aviation did not own the DC-6, but had a separate arrangement with the Jack Richards Aircraft Company to use it. After the agreements were made the DC-6 was damaged and was unavailable for use by the team. A pair of Martin 4-0-4s which had not flown since 1967 were re-certified for flight, and on October 2, 1970 these were ferried from the Jack Richards Aircraft Company facilities in Oklahoma City to Wichita, instead of a DC-6.
Initial leg
Upon arrival in Wichita, the two aircraft were loaded with luggage and the passengers were boarded. The planes took off and headed westward to a refueling stopover at Stapleton Airport in Denver; from there the planes would continue to Logan AirportLogan-Cache Airport
Logan-Cache Airport is a public airport located three miles northwest of the city of Logan in Cache County, Utah, USA. The Logan-Cache Airport is currently a General Aviation Airport and is governed by the Logan-Cache Airport Authority formed by Inter-local Agreement between Cache County and...
, Utah.
The two aircraft were dubbed "Gold" and "Black", after the team colors. "Gold", the plane that would crash, carried the starting players, coaches and boosters, while "Black" transported the backup players and other support personnel.
The President of Golden Eagle Aviation, Ronald G. Skipper, was the pilot flying "Gold". He was acting in the capacity of a First Officer because he did not have a type rating
Type rating
A type rating is an allowance to fly a certain aircraft type that requires additional training beyond the scope of initial license and aircraft class training. What aircraft require a type rating is decided by the local aviation authority...
on the Martin 4-0-4. During the flight to Denver he visited with passengers in the cabin, advising them that after refueling they would take a scenic route, near the Loveland ski resort
Loveland Ski Area
The Loveland Ski Area is located near the town of Georgetown, Colorado. The area is one of the closest to the Denver metropolitan area and Front Range corridor, making it popular with locals...
. The crew flying the other team aircraft, "Black", would adhere to the original flight plan
Flight plan
Flight plans are documents filed by pilots or a Flight Dispatcher with the local Civil Aviation Authority prior to departure...
and take a more northerly route towards Wyoming after departing Denver, using a designated airway
Airway (aviation)
In aviation, an airway is a designated route in the air. Airways are laid out between navigational aids such as VORs, NDBs and Intersections ....
. This planned route allowed more time to gain altitude for the climb over the Rocky Mountains.
Accident sequence
While the aircraft were being refueled and serviced, First Officer Skipper purchased aeronautical sectional chartSectional Chart
In United States aviation, a sectional chart, often called sectional for short, is a type of aeronautical chart designed for navigation under visual flight rules.-Overview:...
s for the contemplated scenic route. The National Transportation Safety Board
National Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
(NTSB) investigation report stated the First Officer testified that he intended to use the charts to help point out landmarks and objects of interest to the passengers, and the report concluded the crew didn't allow enough time for the charts to be studied properly to avoid high terrain, before take off commenced.
After take-off in clear weather, the two planes took divergent paths away from Denver.
Shortly before the crash several witnesses described seeing a plane fly unusually low towards the Continental Divide
Continental Divide
The Continental Divide of the Americas, or merely the Continental Gulf of Division or Great Divide, is the name given to the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from those river systems that drain...
. Some witnesses located on higher mountainside locations, such as Loveland Pass
Loveland Pass
Loveland Pass, elevation 11,990 ft. above sea level, is a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of north-central Colorado, U.S.A.....
at 11,990 feet, reported seeing the plane flying below them. The overloaded aircraft, nearing Loveland Pass as it flew up Clear Creek Valley
Clear Creek (Colorado)
Clear Creek is a tributary of the South Platte River, approximately long, in north central Colorado in the United States. The creek flows through Clear Creek Canyon in the Rocky Mountains directly west of Denver, descending through a long gorge to emerge on the Colorado Eastern Plains where it...
, became trapped in a box canyon
Box canyon
Box Canyon is a Box canyon in Ouray County, Colorado, United States. It was originally founded as a mining camp and helped the city of Ouray establish itself as a permanent community. Box Canyon is home to Box Canyon Falls, a 285-foot waterfall, with quartzite walls that extend almost one hundred...
and was unable to climb above the mountain ridges surrounding it on three sides, nor complete a reversal turn away from the sharply rising terrain. At 1:14 p.m. the "Gold" aircraft struck trees on Mount Trelease 1,600 feet below the summit and crashed. The NTSB report stated a belief that many on board survived the initial impact, based on the testimony of survivors and rescuers. The load of fuel on board did not explode immediately, allowing survivors to escape the wreckage, but the passenger cabin would eventually be consumed by an explosion before those still alive and trapped inside could escape. The dead included 29 passengers as well as the Captain and Flight Attendant. Two of the initial eleven survivors later died of their injuries.
Probable cause
The National Transportation Safety Board report states that weather played no role in the accident, and lists the probable cause to be that the pilot made improper decisions in-flight or in planning:
"The intentional operation of the aircraft over a mountain valley route at an altitude from which the aircraft could neither climb over the obstructing terrain ahead, nor execute a successful course reversal. Significant factors were the overloaded condition of the aircraft, the virtual absence of flight planning for the chosen route of flight from Denver to Logan, a lack of understanding on the part of the crew of the performance capabilities and limitations of the aircraft, and the lack of operational management to monitor and appropriately control the actions of the flightcrew."
Aftermath
The game was canceled, and the Utah State football team held a memorial service at the stadium where the game was to have been played and placed a wreath on the 50-yard line. Wichita State University officials and family of the survivors were flown to Denver on a plane made available by the Governor of Kansas. Classes were canceled for Monday, October 5, and a memorial service was held that evening at the university stadium. The remaining Wichita team, with the NCAA and Missouri Valley ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference
The Missouri Valley Conference is a college athletic conference whose members are located in the midwestern United States...
allowing freshman players to fill out the squad, decided to continue the 1970 season; it was later designated the "Second Season."
Wichita and Utah State never met again. Wichita State ended varsity football after the 1986 season. Utah State is currently in the Western Athletic Conference
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
.
There have been other aircraft incidents involving American collegiate sports teams, including the Evansville basketball plane crash, a 1977 accident in Indiana where a chartered DC-3 carrying the entire University of Evansville
University of Evansville
The University of Evansville is a small, private university with approximately 3,050 students located in Evansville, Indiana. Founded in 1854 as Moores Hill College, it is located near the interchange of the Lloyd Expressway and U.S. Route 41. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church...
men's basketball team crashed near Evansville's Dress Regional Airport
Evansville Regional Airport
Evansville Regional Airport is a public airport located three miles north of the central business district of Evansville, a city in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. This airport is publicly owned by Evansville/Vanderburgh Airport Authority.It provides nearly 30 daily flights to and...
. A total of 29 people were killed; including the entire team and the Head Coach Bobby Watson. A little over one month after the October 2 Wichita State accident, 75 players, coaches and staff of the Marshall University Thundering Herd football team would die in the crash of Southern Airways Flight 932 near Ceredo, West Virginia
Ceredo, West Virginia
Ceredo is a city in Wayne County, West Virginia, along the Ohio River. The population was 1,675 at the 2000 census. Ceredo is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 288,649.The city is also near the location of...
.
Memorials
Wichita State UniversityWichita State University
Wichita State University is a NCAA Division I public university in Wichita, Kansas with selective admissions. WSU is one of six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The current president is Dr. Donald Beggs....
built a memorial for those who had died from the crash called Memorial '70. Every year on October 2 at 9 am, a wreath is placed at this memorial.
A roadside memorial plaque listing the names of the victims is located near the Colorado crash site, adjacent westbound Interstate 70
Interstate 70
Interstate 70 is an Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a Park and Ride near Baltimore, Maryland. It was the first Interstate Highway project in the United States. I-70 approximately traces the path of U.S. Route 40 east of the Rocky...
, about one mile east of the Eisenhower Tunnel
Eisenhower Tunnel
The Eisenhower Tunnel, officially the Eisenhower–Johnson Memorial Tunnel, is a dual-bore, four-lane vehicular tunnel approximately west of Denver, Colorado, United States. The tunnel carries Interstate 70 under the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains. With a maximum elevation of above sea...
.
Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby
William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
and Monty Hall
Monty Hall
Monte Halperin, OC, OM , better known by the stage name Monty Hall, is a Canadian-born MC, producer, actor, singer and sportscaster, best known as host of the television game show Let's Make a Deal.-Early life:...
hosted a fundraiser for the Wichita State and Marshall athletic departments after the crashes, from Wichita .
See also
- Southern Airways Flight 932, a crash the following month that killed 75 people, including most of the Marshall UniversityMarshall UniversityMarshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States....
football team. - Cal Poly football team plane crashCal Poly football team plane crashThe Cal Poly football team plane crash occurred on October 29, 1960, at 22:02 EST, when a twin-engine C-46 propliner, registration N1244N, operated as a domestic charter flight by Arctic Pacific, carrying the California Polytechnic State University football team, crashed on takeoff at the Toledo...
, a 1960 accident where twenty-two are killed, including sixteen players on the California Polytechnic State UniversityCalifornia Polytechnic State UniversityCalifornia Polytechnic State University, or Cal Poly, is a public university located in San Luis Obispo, California, United States. The university is one of two polytechnic campuses in the 23-member California State University system....
football team. - Oklahoma State basketball team plane crash, January 27, 2001, one of three planes carrying Oklahoma State staff and players crashed in a snow storm near Byers, Colorado, killing all 10 on board.
External links
- NTSB Aircraft Accident Report, SA-421, File No. 3-1127 (alternate link)
- Memorial '70 Homepage - includes survivor recollections, photos of victims
- Super70s article about the crash - includes narrative on circumstances leading up to the flight, and lists names of those on board
- Roadside memorial adjacent to I-70 near Colorado crash site
- Present-day photos of crash site on Mount Trelease - includes directions for visiting the site, and GPS coordinates
- 1960s photo of the accident aircraft in Mohawk Airlines livery
- Wichita State University Football Team Airplane Crash Collection - archives related to crash
