Wichita State University football team plane crash - wikipedia Wichita State University football team plane crash Wichita State University Crash A Martin 4 - 0 - 4, circa 1981, in Florida Airlines livery. Accident Date October 2, 1970 Summary Controlled flight into terrain due to pilot error Site Clear Creek County, Colorado 8 miles ( 13 km ) west of Silver Plume, near the Loveland Ski Area 39 ° 41 ′ 36 '' N 105 ° 52 ′ 57 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 39.69333 ° N 105.88250 ° W ﻿ / 39.69333 ; - 105.88250 Coordinates : 39 ° 41 ′ 36 '' N 105 ° 52 ′ 57 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 39.69333 ° N 105.88250 ° W ﻿ / 39.69333 ; - 105.88250 Aircraft type Martin 4 - 0 - 4 Operator Golden Eagle Aviation Registration N464M, ex-N460A Flight origin Wichita Mid-Continent Airport Stopover Stapleton International Airport Destination Logan - Cache Airport Passengers 37 Crew Fatalities 31 Survivors 9 Loveland Pass Location in the western United States In clear and calm weather in Colorado at 1 : 14 p.m. MDT on Friday, October 2, 1970, a chartered Martin 4 - 0 - 4 airliner crashed into a mountain eight miles ( 13 km ) west of Silver Plume. Operated by Golden Eagle Aviation, the twin - engined propliner carried 37 passengers and a crew of three ; 29 were killed at the scene and two later died of their injuries while under medical care. It was one of two aircraft carrying the Wichita State University football team to Logan, Utah, for a game against Utah State University ; the second aircraft flew a conventional route and arrived safely in Utah. Pilot errors, including poor in - flight decisions and inadequate pre-flight planning, were officially reported as leading to the crash. Contents 1 Background 2 Initial leg 3 Accident sequence 4 Probable cause 5 Aftermath 6 Memorials 7 See also 8 References 9 External links Background About three months prior to the crash, Wichita State contracted Golden Eagle Aviation to supply a Douglas DC - 6 B, to fly the team to away games for the 1970 season. The four - engined DC - 6 was a large, powerful aircraft that could accommodate the entire team. Golden Eagle Aviation did not own the DC - 6, but had an 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. A pair of Martin 4 - 0 - 4s ( which had not flown since 1967 ) were re-certified for flight. On October 2, 1970, these were ferried from the Jack Richards Aircraft Company facilities in Oklahoma City to Wichita, instead of the DC - 6. Initial leg Upon arrival in Wichita, the two aircraft were loaded with luggage and the passengers were boarded. They took off and headed west to a refueling stopover in Denver at Stapleton Airport ; from there they would continue to Logan Airport in northern Utah. The two aircraft were dubbed `` Gold '' and `` Black '' after the school colors. `` Gold '', the aircraft that later crashed, carried the starting players, head coach, and athletic director, as well as their wives, other administrators, boosters, and family. The designated `` Black '' plane transported the reserve players, assistant coaches, and other support personnel. The President of Golden Eagle Aviation, Ronald G. Skipper ( 1936 -- 2003 ), was the pilot flying `` Gold. '' Although occupying the left seat, 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 Loveland Ski Area and Mount Sniktau, the proposed alpine skiing venues for the 1976 Winter Olympics, recently awarded to Denver in May. The other crew flying the `` Black '' aircraft adhered to the original flight plan and took a more northerly route, heading north from Denver to southern Wyoming then west, using a designated airway. Less scenic, this route allowed more time to gain altitude for the climb over the Rocky Mountains. Accident sequence While the aircraft were refueled and serviced in Denver, First Officer Skipper purchased aeronautical sectional charts 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. The report concluded the crew did not allow enough time for the charts to be studied properly to avoid high terrain before takeoff commenced. After takeoff in clear weather, the two aircraft took divergent paths away from Denver. Shortly before the crash, several witnesses described seeing an aircraft flying unusually low towards the Continental Divide. Some witnesses located on higher mountainside locations, such as Loveland Pass at 11,990 feet ( 3,655 m ), reported seeing it flying below them. Crash survivor Rick Stephens was a senior guard and stated in 2013, ``... as we flew along over I - 70, that there were old mines and old vehicles above us. I noticed we were quite a bit below the top of the mountains. I got up to go to the cockpit, which was n't unusual to do, and I could tell we were in trouble, looking out the window and seeing nothing but green in front of us. '' 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. MDT, the `` Gold '' aircraft struck trees on the east slope of Mount Trelease, 1,600 feet ( 490 m ) below its 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 was eventually consumed by an explosion before those still alive and trapped inside could escape. Of the total of 40 on board, the death count at the scene was 29, which included 27 passengers, captain, and flight attendant. One of the deceased passengers was an off - duty flight attendant who was assisting. Two of the initial 11 survivors later died of their injuries to bring the total dead to 31, 14 of whom were Wichita State football players. First to arrive at the crash scene were construction workers from the nearby Eisenhower Tunnel project and motorists on U.S. 6 ( I - 70 ). The first officer ( company president ) survived ; he was flying the plane from the left seat. 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 USU president, vice president, provost, athletic director, and athletic information officer were all unavailable in the immediate aftermath of the crash, leaving the game to be canceled by John S. Flannery, a USU Information Services employee. Utah State 's 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 members of the survivors were flown to Denver on an aircraft made available by Robert Docking, 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 members of the Wichita State team, with the NCAA and Missouri Valley Conference allowing freshman players to fill out the squad, decided to continue the 1970 season ; it was later designated the `` Second Season. '' Wichita State and Utah State had played in five of the previous six seasons, but never met again in football. Wichita State discontinued varsity football after the 1986 season. The accident was the first of two college football charter aircraft to crash in 1970 ; six weeks later, Southern Airways Flight 932, carrying the Marshall University team, crashed in Huntington, West Virginia as the team returned from a game in North Carolina. Memorials Roadside memorial in Colorado on Interstate 70, milepost 217 Wichita State University built a memorial for those who died from the crash called Memorial ' 70. Every year on October 2 at 9 a.m., 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 to westbound Interstate 70, at Dry Gulch at milepost 217 ( 39 ° 41 ′ 47 '' N 105 ° 52 ′ 25 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 39.6965 ° N 105.8736 ° W ﻿ / 39.6965 ; - 105.8736 ), about two miles ( 3 km ) east of the Eisenhower Tunnel. A trail to the wreck site via Dry Gulch is 0.4 miles past the memorial off exit 216. Detailed directions and photos can be found on Mountainouswords.com. Entertainers Bill Cosby and Monty Hall hosted a fundraiser for the Wichita State athletic department after the crash. See also List of accidents involving sports teams Timeline of college football in Kansas References Jump up ^ `` 13 gridders die in air crash ''. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. October 3, 1970. p. 1. Jump up ^ `` 29 killed in Colorado air tragedy ''. The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. UPI. October 3, 1970. p. 1. Jump up ^ `` Air tragedy in the Rockies ''. Rocky Mountain News. October 3, 1970. p. 1. Retrieved September 10, 2009. ^ Jump up to : Sanchez, Robert ( October 2010 ). `` The Crash ''. 5280, The Denver Magazine. Retrieved May 6, 2015. ^ Jump up to : Memorial ' 70 at Wichita State ^ Jump up to : Mondout, Patrick ( 2005 ), Air Crash In Rockies Kills Wichita State Football Players, Super70s.com, Retrieved 2009 - 09 - 10 ^ Jump up to : NTSB Aircraft Accident Report, SA - 421, File No. 3 - 1127 Archived 2013 - 10 - 09 at the Wayback Machine. ^ Jump up to : Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network Jump up ^ `` Wichita State recalls a crash that killed 31 ''. New York Times. Associated Press. October 3, 2010. Retrieved December 27, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Ronald G. Skipper ''. Find a Grave. Retrieved May 6, 2015. ^ Jump up to : Lopresti, Mike ( April 2, 2013 ). `` Crash survivor remembers Wichita State 's saddest day ''. USA Today. Retrieved December 27, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Wichita State crash survivors sue ''. Palm Beach Post. UPI. October 2, 1971. p. C8. Jump up ^ `` Sightseeing is blamed in fatal plane crash ''. The Day. New London, Connecticut. Associated Press. February 26, 1971. p. 24. ^ Jump up to : Graham, Pat ( September 26, 2010 ). `` Forgotten tragedy : Survivors ' quest to keep memories of 1970 Wichita State crash from fading ''. Al.com. Associated Press. Retrieved December 27, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Utah St. vs. Wichita St ''. College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved October 25, 2016. Jump up ^ Bates, Michael ( December 3, 1986 ). `` Wichita State gives up football, too expensive ''. Kentucky New Era. ( Hopkinsville ). Associated Press. p. 2C. Jump up ^ Mondout, Patrick ( 2005 ), 1970 Wichita State Football Crash Memorial : Pictures, Super70s.com, Retrieved 2009 - 09 - 10 External links NTSB Aircraft Accident Report, SA - 421, File No. 3 - 1127 ( alternate link 1, alternate link 2 ) 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 ← 1969 Aviation accidents and incidents in 1970 ( 1970 ) 1971 → Jan 5 Spantax Convair crash Feb 2 Cornfield Bomber crash landing Feb 4 Aerolineas Argentinas Flight 707 Feb 15 Dominicana DC - 9 disaster Feb 21 Swissair Flight 330 Mar 17 Eastern Airlines Flight 1320 Mar 31 Japan Airlines Flight 351 Apr 21 Philippine Airlines Flight 215 May 2 ALM Flight 980 May 15 Dymshits -- Kuznetsov hijacking affair Jul 3 Dan - Air Flight 1903 Jul 5 Air Canada Flight 621 Jul 18 Soviet Air Force Antonov An - 22 Aug 9 LANSA Flight 502 Aug 12 China Airlines Flight 206 Sep 21 Free Life balloon crash Sep 6 Dawson 's Field hijackings Oct 2 Wichita State Univ football team Oct 15 Aeroflot Flight 244 Nov 14 Southern Airways Flight 932 Wichita State Shockers football Venues Cessna Stadium ( 1946 -- 1986 ) Bowls & rivalries Bowl games Culture & lore 1905 Cooper game 1905 Washburn game Camellia Bowl 1970 plane crash Timeline of football in Kansas People Head coaches NFL draftees Seasons 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 Wichita State University Located in : Wichita, Kansas Academics WSU Tech Athletics Baseball Men 's basketball Women 's basketball Football ( defunct ) Cessna Stadium Charles Koch Arena Eck Stadium American Athletic Conference Museum Lowell D. Holmes Museum of Anthropology Media / arts KMUW Personnage Oiseaux People List of Wichita State University people President John Bardo Related 1905 Cooper vs. Fairmount football game 1905 Washburn vs. Fairmount football game Camellia Bowl Wichita State University football team plane crash Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wichita_State_University_football_team_plane_crash&oldid=840736406 '' Categories : Wichita State Shockers football Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in 1970 Aviation accidents and incidents involving sports teams Aviation accidents and incidents caused by pilot error Clear Creek County, Colorado Airliner accidents and incidents in Colorado 1970 in Colorado 1970 in Kansas 1970 in sports in Colorado 1970 in sports in Kansas October 1970 events Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Coordinates on Wikidata Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 11 May 2018, at 20 : 39. 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Question: when did the wichita state football team plane crash
Answer: October 2, 1970