1960 New York mid-air collision
On December 16, 1960, a United Airlines Douglas DC-8 bound for Idlewild Airport (now John F. Kennedy International Airport) in New York City collided in midair with a TWA Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation descending toward LaGuardia Airport. The Constellation crashed on Miller Field in Staten Island and the DC-8 in Park Slope, Brooklyn, killing all 128 aboard the two aircraft and six people on the ground. The accident was the world's deadliest aviation disaster at the time, and remains the deadliest accident in the history of United Airlines.
The crash site of the United Airlines DC-8, United 826, in Park Slope, Brooklyn | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | December 16, 1960 |
| Summary | Mid-air collision |
| Site | About a mile west of Miller Field 40°34′07″N 74°07′19″W |
| Total fatalities | 134 |
| Total injuries | 0 |
| Total survivors | 0 |
| First aircraft | |
| The tail assembly of N8013U, the Douglas DC-8-11 involved in the collision | |
| Type | Douglas DC-8-11 |
| Name | Mainliner Will Rogers |
| Operator | United Airlines |
| IATA flight No. | UA826 |
| ICAO flight No. | UAL826 |
| Call sign | UNITED 826 |
| Registration | N8013U |
| Flight origin | Chicago-O'Hare International Airport (ORD/KORD), IL |
| Destination | Idlewild Airport (IDL/KIDL)(Now John F. Kennedy International Airport), New York City |
| Occupants | 84 |
| Passengers | 77 |
| Crew | 7 |
| Fatalities | 84 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Second aircraft | |
| N6907C, the Lockheed L-1049A Super Constellation involved | |
| Type | Lockheed L-1049A Super Constellation |
| Name | Star of Sicily |
| Operator | Trans World Airlines |
| IATA flight No. | TW266 |
| ICAO flight No. | TWA266 |
| Call sign | TWA 266 |
| Registration | N6907C |
| Flight origin | Dayton International Airport (DAY/KDAY), Dayton, Ohio |
| Stopover | Port Columbus International Airport (CMH/KCMH), Ohio |
| Destination | LaGuardia Airport KLGA New York |
| Occupants | 44 |
| Passengers | 39 |
| Crew | 5 |
| Fatalities | 44 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Ground casualties | |
| Ground fatalities | 6 |
The accident became known as the Park Slope plane crash or the Miller Field crash after the two crash sites. The accident was also the first hull loss and first fatal accident involving a Douglas DC-8.