Visiting The Crash Site of UA Flight 409 on Medicine Bow Peak
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- Опубліковано 11 вер 2024
- In October 1955, United Airlines flight 409 crashed in the Snowy Range of Wyoming, killing all 66 passengers and crew on board. At the time, it was the most catastrophic commercial airline accident in American history. For more information regarding the crash visit:
coloradowreckch...
Update: I just noticed this video, which features detailed directions, as well as high quality still images. It was uploaded not long after the visit featured in this film.
• Video
My Grandma, Georgie May Bradshaw, and my uncle, Earl Bradshaw were killed today in an United air crash in 1955 when a plane flew straight into the side of Medicine Bow Peak. They were coming back from Flint, Michigan where they had been visiting my Aunt Rae, Grandma's daughter. My parents found out about the crash just before heading to the Salt Lake airport to pick them up. I spent days in the darkened living room of my mom's friend next door. Grandma was an extraordinary woman, and Uncle Earl, who had contracted encephalitis at age 12, and was in a wheelchair, was an amazing man. I have intense early memories of all of this, and of Grandma and Earl. Needless to say, our lives were never the same.
Very interesting piece of aviation history...thx for giving that gift to other aviation buffs like myself...that crash was very historic...the first of a number PSA...Aeromexico over Cerritos and others that led to TCAS and much better aviation safety...great job appreciating and respecting the history!
Rosanna, can tell through your words how hurt you and family were/are by this tragedy. Courageous of you to share. So very sorry.
🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼💙💙💙
Must have been an aweful feeling.
Finally, I found what i was looking for. Thank you Sir for documenting your exploration!
My career pilot and aircrew friends and relatives agree and have stated emphatically that you can not appreciate
the total destruction of an airplane under such scenarios unless you have been there to rescue, recover, and/or catalog it.
I lost my uncle there who was 18 yrs old heading to serve his country
So young...My he RIP.
This brought back many memories! I was a Freshman at the U of Wyoming at this time. They ask for volunteers from the Air Force ROTC ranks to help with removal of the bodies. They (mountain climbers) rigged up a long, long rope from the crash site all the way to level ground. We in ROTC were the power to pull on the rope with a pulley attached to body bags that were brought down and loaded on pack horses and carried to ambulances. We spent about 6 hours up there and were relieved by another group of ROTC people. All this 59 years ago. Thanks for the great video.
Thanks for sharing your experiences!
John n
John مكام
Fantastic video, John. I didn't know that wreckage was still on the mountain.
Wow. I remember this well. It had a great IMPACT in my life. We prayed for the victims at St. Joseph's Church on Sundays. I was 10 years old when this happened. We lived in Rawlins, about 77 miles from here. We use to go up here to Lake Marie and Mirror Lake for picnics in the summer...well it had to be summer dummie because you could not get up here in the winter...duh! Anyway, my brother's birthday is on the 4th of July and we went up to celebrate and picnic. I have a picture of us 4 kids sitting on a picnic table and it is snowing like crazy! We are all scowling...ahhhh wonderful Wyoming.
Anyway RIP.
Wow, amazing video! Thank you for taking the time to share it!
You are welcome, thanks for the kind words.
Nice Job John, FYI My family is from Laramie, Grandfather "Whitey" White was in charge of Striker Mortuary in Laramie. I vividly remember my family speaking about this crash. Grampa and many other people spent many days recovering remains. Grampa hired my father, a UAL new hire pilot and a fighter pilot in the 186 fighter Group in Cheyenne to help. My family said you could see big black marks where aircraft impacted the mountain. Not sure but sometime after 1955 the military came in and blasted the entire impact area. My heart goes out to the relatives of unforeseen tragedy.
Taylor, Thanks for the kinds words. I had heard of this crash site for many years before I decided to do a bit of internet research on the crash. My hope is that other people will be able to easily go out and locate the crash site, or at least get a better sense of what happened. Keep exploring!
My dad knew a guy named Barney, lived in Saratoga, who helped remove the bodies, pretty gruesome story. Most people who were old enough to help clear the wreckage site are now gone. I have driven by this site several times, always wondered what was up there. Great job, great video.
I would like to talk to you; my dad was aboard flight 409
Please feel free to share information here! Also, there is a complete archive of the recovery effort at the University of Wyoming American Heritage Center.
The airplane fragments are history; the personal items are tragedy. Interesting history; may the victims RIP.
Look, but don't touch. Messing with the miscellaneous wreckage of the plane isn't so bad, but messing with personal effects is. My Grandparents were killed in this crash so the idea that the airline left so much of the victims personal belongings up there is sickening enough, let alone that people would be touching the victims remaining items. Its a grave site brah.
toy robot, I have put considerable effort to learn & share information related to the flight 409 tragedy. I feel that this is the best way to honor those lost that October day. No disrespect was intended.
Toy, no disrespect....but the dead really don't care...
that utterly indifferent, callous statement...shows everyone here...what kind of man you are..... "Cowboy'.
I cannot believe that this many parts would be left at the crash site.
It is pretty rugged terrain, and this is what was left over after the USAF bombed the remaining debris in an effort to diminish evidence of the crash. The stringent reconstruction of doomed aircraft just wasn't something done back then.
Hi Jon,
The glacial lake, aka Lake 409 was mostly dried up in August, so the engine you mention was exposed on dry ground.
I had heard about the crash for many years before I started doing some searching online. I will have to head down to the AHC to check out their archives, in my past experiences, they are really good about making original documents, transcripts, and photos available to the general public.
Take care.
Thank you so much for taking this trek that all may see. Lives lost, but not forgotten...
Sad site even on that bright sunny day seeing the scattered parts of that tragic plane crash back in 1955 I wonder what caused it to go down? I believe there were other curious people before you looking at the rock mountain the way the debris was placed. sad non the less 😢💔
Condolences to the friends and the families who lost loved ones on this air flight accident.
I am surprised that the plane wreckage was not completely and fully removed from the mountainous landscape.
One of the plane wreck debris items you found appears to be the leather sole from a shoe belonging to a passenger.
Perhaps since the NTSB was not formed until 1967 is a partial why the site was not fully cleaned up.
One positive attribute about progress is technology; back in 1955 there was no air traffic control and no radar as we know today.
Thank you for visiting and sharing...wanted very much to see what that site looks like today
My Uncle Gerald had just completed his tour in Vietnam. Salt lake was home and he was almost home. He was at least brought home to bury but thank you for this post. It means a great deal to me. I can’t walk so thank you for your journey.
Bless your family.
The shoe that was torn apart. Imagine the force it took to do that. Very sad.
I feel the trauma of a plane crash much more in seeing personal effects, like that shoe torn apart, than in all the bits of pieces of metal scattered around. It's interesting to see those pieces and try to figure out what they were, but the personal effects were on real people, who died there. RIP passengers and crew.
Some poor soul, lost their sole, when they lost their soul. @7:33 Tragic!
Wow-very VERY interesting vid. And looks like a nice day to go exploring, too. Very eerie watching this. Trying to imagine how it must be actually standing there with the wreckage all around you.
It is sad that four of our residents around Towanda, PA in Bradford County were killed there and no one seems to care. thank you for sharing this. thank you for doing this.. We named the Merrill parkway after him.. but very few know way or care.
Question….have you been to this site? Just wondering seems how concerned you are about the fact that nobody cares. And yes I do feel it is important to ask if you yourself have actually made it to medicine bow. Maybe if you had then it would be reasonable for me to actually question why it is that you believe that nobody cares. Especially considering the memorial plaque that is at the base of the crash site.
I was just up there. Lot of snow but melting fast.
62 years ago on Oct, 6, 1955 at least 65 innocent people were killed on United Flight 409 in Wyoming. Within an hour after taking off from Denver 4 residents from our area impacted the cliff of a mountain. As a result of this the John B Merrill Parkway ,in Towanda, was named after a brilliant man who worked at Syvania. Just prior to their departure an innocent flip of a coin sealed the fate of two couples on the flight. Three executives of the Sylvania Electric Company in Towanda, PA, and their wives were enroute to Salt Lake City. They were to board the plane in Chicago, however, there was room for only two couples so they flipped a coin to see which couple would have to stay behind for a later flight. Mr. & Mrs. Paul Felton lost the coin flipping and lived. The winners of the coin flip were Mr. & Mrs. John B. Merrill and Mr. & Mrs. James E. McGarr, and they died.
in addition, the mother of a Michigan airman Private Lawrence Monk killed in the crash said that her son had a premonition of impending death. Mrs. Richard Ryan of Cheboygan said her 18-year-old son, Pvt. Lawrence Monk, gave her his Bible early Sunday morning and said, “I’ll never need it again.” Mom, you’ll never see me again but you’ll hear about me,” They went to church together Sunday and took communion . Monk, was in route to Oakland, Ca., and ultimately was together the 65 other doomed passengers in Denver, which is over a mile in elevation.
What makes this all very interesting is that out of all the dead found, only the pilot and co-pilot had discolored skin. This may be explained if the flight crew was killed just prior to the crash .
Had they been murdered just prior to the crash the death process would have been proceeding at over 10,000 feet and at “room temperature”. Every one alive at the time of impact would have been chilling down the moment after impact! In 1955 the authorities /media apparently accepted “Premonitions”. But today the FBI, FAA ,NTSB would have run a complete psycholoical assessment of Pvt. Monk. But at the very least Oct. 6th should be a time to think about the orphans, friends and relatives left to deal with this violent event. If the plane was hijacked you can only imagine the terror of the finals seconds of their lives. So the next time you drive down the John B Merrill maybe you might have a different feeling doing it.
Thanks Chris! Sorry that I did not notice your comment sooner.
from the planned route for reasons unknown," the report concluded.
McLean feels that much more could have been done with the investigation instead of leaving it open-ended with "reasons unknown."
"They didn't do a very thorough job," said McLean. "They did some things thoroughly and some things they didn't, and I think that's what got them (the CAB) in trouble. They missed a lot of obvious things they should have picked up on. I think I've picked up on them. … It was not the pilots' fault in any way. They were victims."
McLean hopes his findings will clear the pilots' names and make their surviving families feel better about the incident, especially after the "reckless speculation" that McLean said followed in multiple news accounts.
He also hopes to tell the stories of those who were on board, who brought with them a variety of backgrounds.
Nearly one-third of the victims were young cadets going to join the U.S. Air Force in Canada, according to McLean. There were also a few experienced bomber and commercial pilots, and members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir who were fresh off of their European tour and a shopping excursion in New York City.
"There were some guys from Nevada who were maybe a little shady and had been at the World Series," he continued. "There were a few engineers and a few - there were two infants on there. Then the stewardess, this was her first six months on the job. She was from Connecticut."
McLean doesn't plan to make any money on the book, choosing instead to give it away to those who have helped him and others who are interested in his findings. He then plans to submit all of the information he's gathered to the University of Wyoming archives.
McLean is looking to start the writing process this winter, but can't say for sure when it will be completed.
He also hopes to begin work next year to erect a memorial on state park land along Interstate 80 in Laramie. On it, his plan is to list the names of those who died and some facts about the crash.
"Nobody ever built them a memorial like they normally would with a major crash like this," said McLean. " … That will be my final project. If I can get that done, then I'll retire and move onto something else."
Looking for information
Although McLean has followed many leads to connect with several sources as part of his investigation, there's still many more he hopes to speak with.
This includes descendants of the McGarr and Merrill families.
"I would like to have some kind of contact with those children if possible," said McLean.
He urges any family members interested in speaking with him to write him at 2662 Swiss Lane, Birmingham, AL 35226.
Young Airman Had Premonition Of His Death CHEBOYGAN, Mich., Oct. 6 (AP)
To me the following information on one of the passengers seems very odd to the point where perhaps Airman Monk took down the plane by entering the cockpit. the question is.. where was his body found relative to the captain and co pilot??
The mother of a Michigan airman killed Thursday in the crash of an airliner in Wyoming said the youth had a premonition of impending death. Mrs. Richard Ryan of Cheboygan said her 18-year-old son, Lawrence Monk, gave her his Bible early Sunday morning and said, “I’ll never need it again.” Mom, you’ll never see me again but you’ll hear about me,” the youth told her.
They went to church together Sunday she said.
Monk, en route to Oakland, Calif., enplaned at Willow Run Airport near Detroit.
Monk enlisted in the Air Force June 22. He planned to make it his career, his mother said. This was the first trip home. He arrived Sept. 22 for a 12-day furlough.
I live in Laramie. My father used to take us up to the Range and we always had to sit and look at the smoke stain on the rocks and it seemed like a little bit of a remembrance of a tragedy that happened when I was just 2. What a sad thing. I would like to learn more about the accident. I never could understand why plane was over such a tall mountain to start with.
It was Debra who wrote the comment, not brother Wayne.
At 7:58 one can still discern the splotch of oil on the vertical rock face from one of the engines at the moment of impact. The aircraft, a DC-4, was later destroyed by the Air Force (some say with napalm being used) in what I think was a clumsy attempt at keeping souvenir hunters from retrieving major parts of the wreck.
You are correct that napalm was used to incinerate the remnants of the plane. Seems unthinkable in this day.
My Grandfather's younger sister orphaned her only son at 5 months old when she perished on this flight, too.
Thanks for the video it was interesting
My wife's brother died in that crash! Your going to hike down there and have some fun? Very poor choice of words.😥
Did you know that people recreate on Indigenous grave sites everyday?
John nice work up there. I have been to many wreck sites in the sierras here in California. DC 4 is a big plane and I know how personal the experience is finding things like shoes and other items. Well presented nice work
Amazing video brotha thank u for taking me from my bed in Philadelphia to where u went 👍🏼
WOW. “HAVING FUN” Where 66 people died. THAT’s AMAZING!,,,,,
John Bolton, I guess that I should add a land acknowledgement to all of my other videos, because I am having fun on land that was stolen through the systematic genocide of millions of indigenous peoples. Do you have a better suggestion, since the historical background I have provided was not sufficient to honor the memory of the 66 individuals who tragically lost their lives on that October day?
You keep grabbing the wreckage parts, and not replacing them where you found them. Just look and leave things as they are!
0:50 "Have some fun" ?? In a fatal commercial airplane wreck site? Is this dude for real?
yeah i thought the same thing, wrong choice of words
5:40 Looks like it was for one of the control surfaces. Not exactly the control surface it self, but a piece to move it.
My biggest criticism is that you were on such a hike by yourself. Descending the slag field isn't so bad in itself, but without a hiking buddy, had something gone wrong, then you would have, indeed, been in some trouble. Still, thanks for sharing this video!
John I live in Buffalo Wyoming have you ever been to Bomber mountain Big Horns there's a B-17 crashed on the top big pieces from 1943 10 army guys died up there
I have friends who have been to that site, but never seen it myself. Maybe this summer I will get there!
I read the military was supposed to dispose of the wreckage but never did they just got some TNT and blew up some rocks to cover the debris to make out they cleared it...
P.s Done research and thats what I found.
The tail section was shot off the middle of the rock face using Howitzer fire, then napalm strikes were used to further destroy remaining wreckage.
I don't mean to be the devils advocate, but it seems a bit puzzling to me that some of the most important parts of an investigation into a plane crash are still lying on the crash site.
Not really, they know what happened the plane hit the mountain
Even back then, weren’t crashed sites cleaned of all crash debris for the purposes of ascertaining the cause of the accident? I’m surprised there is so much debris still there.
There was a recovery effort to remove the remains of all victims. Remaining debris was bombed off the mountain side with napalm. Scorch marks are still visible.
Please...Bring a friend next time. No matter the experience level you have.
interesting fact....as least to me...the water from these beautiful lakes run down the Platte river all the way to the Gulf of Mexico via New Orleans... I always wanted to ride a raft all the way from Saratoga to the Gulf...too old now...
it took two weeks to retrieve his body and unsure if my grandma got him as she was not allowed to view body they sent to her
Could Towanda have a piece of the wreckage of 409 for a monument honoring 4 of our town people killed in this accident.
Sorry, but it is not my place to remove historical items from the crash site. I am happy to return to the area in the late summer for pictures, or non-impactful memorial activities on your behalf.
And just asking who should I ask for some sort of symbolic part of the aeroplane maybe a propeller
Here is a link to an original video of the recovery effort from the American Heritage Center, (the video has to completely load before it will play). digitalcollections.uwyo.edu:8180/luna/servlet/detail/uwydbuwy~136~136~3258371~288601:United-Air-Lines-Flight-409-crash-r?sort=RID%2CDescription%2CTitle%2CDate_Original&qvq=q:Title%3D%22United%2BAir%2BLines%2BFlight%2B409%2Bcrash%2Brecovery%2Bin%2Bthe%2BMedicine%2BBow%2BMountains%22%2BAND%2B%3D%22Box%2B1%2C%2BFolder%2B13%22%2B;sort:RID%2CDescription%2CTitle%2CDate_Original;lc:uwydbuwy~136~136&mi=0&trs=1
Carlos Ackmann Thanks for sharing this!
It must have taken ages to retrieve all the bodies from that desolate place?.
Indeed, you can read more about the recovery here, or see the video linked by Carlos Ackmann below. www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/united-flight-409-1955-crash-killed-66-people
I was looking for 409 spray cleaner commercials and found this video.
I figure most people are just looking up lyrics to Beach Boys songs.
05:30
Propeller assembly
4:55 That looks to be a moving part, looks like it might’ve been a part of the flaps.
@Raven_11 I think you are right.
Hey Jon,
I saw your vid Pedal House posted and saw this vid you uploaded. I went up there a couple of summers ago and found the motor (which you probably know about) and other shards of metal down low. I hear there is another motor in one of the lakes below that presents itself in the summer sometimes. I went with my buddy to the American Heritage Center to research this and they have very good information. They have video of the rescue and very graphic photos as well. A propeller even.
Don't look away from the camera when you speak! You become inaudible.
I can't believe you are moving that stuff around. Leave it alone for others to discover undisturbed.
Dean, I left everything behind, and made far less of a disturbance than the United States Air Force did when they tried to eliminate the remaining wreckage using napalm bombing. 65 years is becoming more historical than something that happened a few years ago, so I will agree with you that visitors should avoid disturbing the site. I've learned a few things in the 8 years since I made this video.
Maybe quit messing with a grave site.
We live and recreate on stolen Indigenous grave sites! It's asad truth, but I make no apologies 11years later.
Not sure how I feel about you removing and displacing everything. Oh, I mean DIS-PLACING
How come no bodies found?
Most remains were recovered and debris packed out. The site was bombed with napalm in an attempt to obliterate everything that could not be packed out.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Airlines_Flight_409
It's probably best to take that stuff down. It's garbage.
It’s actually not garbage! People lost their lives up on this mountain. And if memory serves it is illegal to remove any piece of the “Airplane” that still remain up there.
Good record but it is not "cool" it very sad for the lost of life
Mike, I have never held the belief that this tragic accident was "cool". Meaningful life experiences occur in the aftermath of terrible things. Don't forget that our society is built upon slavery, theft, maginalization, and genocide. We have to carry on the best we can when we cannot change the past.
@@johnlh83 read what wrote again..i did not say it was cool
@@mikecrees159 Mike, I thought your use of the word "cool" in quotation marks was suggesting that I had conveyed this tone in my video. I'm glad that we can agree that is was a terrible tragedy, but a worthwhile part of the historical record. Take care.
Wow never relised how upset people would get with u looking threw this rubble that was left i do understand how it could bother some but i think you were respectfulll enough
Mountain-1, Airplane-0
There's nothing left to see. Wow
Have some fun?
I guess God did not help the Mormons lol.
They were trying to avoid Hillary Clinton cackling about on her broomstick.
Really? What a piece of crap you are. You must be 12 years old and trying out your new prepubescent hormones. You're a waste of humanity... I've seen your disrespect on another video where many people perished. Why don't you try growing a pair of rocks and learn about humility and respect? Your parents must spend many nights awake trying to understand why you do some of the things you do.
While I agree that "billery" is a vile person, this comment has no place here. Shame on you for posting it.
Fake fake fake, movie props
Yeah, kind of like the moon landing. Chem trails are a thing too.
🙄🙄 there is absolutely nothing fake about this!
That's a gravesite you ghoul
Daniel Lewis, I find it odd that you are pointing this out, considering that you are living on the gravesites of my ancient ancestors.