Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
United Air Lines Flight 409 Crash collection, 1939-2022
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- United Air Lines Flight 409 Crash
- Title
- United Air Lines Flight 409 Crash collection
- Dates
- 1939-2022 (inclusive)19392001
1955 (bulk)19551955 - Quantity
- 2.55 cubic ft. (6 boxes) + 590.30 MB
- Collection Number
- 10494
- Summary
- Materials documenting airplane crash which occurred on October 6, 1955.
- Repository
-
American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming
American Heritage Center
University of Wyoming
1000 E. University Ave.
Dept. 3924
Laramie, WY
82071
Telephone: 3077663756
ahcref@uwyo.edu - Access Restrictions
-
There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- The creation of the EAD-version of this finding aid was made possible through a grant from the National Historic Publications and Records Commission.
Historical NoteReturn to Top
On the morning of October 6, 1955, a United Air Lines DC-4 (UAL Flight 409) en route from New York City to San Francisco with scheduled stops in Denver and Salt Lake City, crashed into a ridge of Medicine Bow Peak (12,013 feet), west of Laramie, killing all 66 passengers and crew members.
When radio contact was lost with the crew, an air search was initiated by the Wyoming Air National Guard. The wreckage was spotted on a ledge high up in the Snowy Range west of Laramie. Rescuers were on the scene by early afternoon, and over the course of approximately one week bodies were recovered, debris was removed, an investigation ensued, and the remaining wreckage was shelled and burned.
This was the worst civil air disaster in U.S. history to that date. Another tragic event occurred less than one month after the Medicine Bow Peak crash when a UAL plane exploded in mid air killing all 44 people on board. Investigators believed a saboteur attempted to mimic the October 6 crash by setting a bomb to detonate when the plane was in the vicinity of Medicine Bow Peak. However, the plane was delayed for a short while at the Denver airport, which led to the bomb detonating south of Medicine Bow Peak near Loveland, Colorado.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The United Air Lines Flight 409 Crash collection contains materials related to the October 6, 1955 crash near Medicine Bow Peak. Collection material covers dates from 1939 to 2001. The collection includes photographs of the crash site, materials describing the rescue effort by several mountaineering clubs including detailed sketches of the pulley system used to lower the bodies off the ledge, newspaper clippings, maps, other written and published accounts, and oral history interviews. These interviews are available in both audio and transcribed formats. A videotape is also included showing the National Guard’s shelling of the mountainside and the use of horses. Other material includes information about the Douglas Company and the DC-4 and written accounts of the November 1, 1955, UAL crash south of Laramie, near Loveland, Colorado.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Copyright InformationThe researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.
Restrictions on Use
Statement on Potentially Harmful Language and Images Found in CollectionsThe American Heritage Center aspires to approach all areas of our work in ways that are respectful to those who create, use, and are represented in our collections. For a variety of reasons, however, users may encounter offensive or harmful language or images in some of our finding aids, catalogs, and collection materials.
Note that the AHC does not censor or alter contents of the collections as they provide context and evidence of a time, people, place, or event. Therefore, we encourage users to bring questions and concerns about descriptions in our finding aids to our attention via email or anonymous web-form. For more information, read our full statement.
Preferred Citation
Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, United Air Lines Flight 409 Crash collection, 1939-2001, Collection Number 10494, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
Alternative Forms Available
Existence and Location of CopiesDigital reproductions of select material from this collection are available at http://digitalcollections.uwyo.edu:8180/luna/servlet/uwydbuwy~136~136.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Related Materials
There are no other known archival collections created about the United Air Lines Flight 409 crash at the date of processing.
Acquisition Information
The materials that make up the United Airlines Flight 409 Crash collection were donated to the American Heritage Center between 1996 and 2022. Materials were donated by Vern H. Anderson, Rick Ewig, Melvin Duncan, John R. Waggener, Phil White, Robin Hill, Anthony Romeo, and Julianne Couch.
Processing Note
The collection was processed by John Richard Waggener in December 2001 and updated by Jamie Greene in September 2016, March 2017, and April 2024.
The oral histories were digitized in 2006.
The video was digitized by Kathy Gerlach in August 2014.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Series I. United Air Lines Flight 409 Crash, 1951-2022Return to Top
Arranged by topic concerning the crash, eyewitness accounts, and aftermath. Series also includes video and audio tapes.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 1 |
Photographs (of crash site and rescue effort)
|
1955 |
| 3 | Photograph of flight 409 wreckage site |
undated | |
| Folder | |||
| 1 | 2 |
Rocky Mountain Rescue Group (RMRG) (Includes sketches of pulley system used to lower bodies.)
|
1951-1973 |
| 1 | 3 |
University of Wyoming Outing Club (Includes news clippings and the Morton Report.)
|
1955-1956 |
| 1 | 4 |
Investigation (Includes copy of official report as well as other written accounts.)
|
1955-1957 |
| 1 | Report: October 1955 Airplane Crash Report, Medicine Bow Peak in the Snowy Range of Southern Wyoming, United Airlines DC-4, On scene report by Denver pilot investigator, Anthony Romeo |
October 23, 2016 | |
| Folder | |||
| 1 | 5 |
Correspondence and written accounts (Includes letters from UAL as well as published accounts of crash.)
|
1955-1957 |
| 3 | Correspondence: Milward Simpson to Captain Melvin E. Conine |
1955 | |
| 3 | Correspondence: W.A. Patterson to Captain Melvin E. Conine |
1955 | |
| 3 | Biography of Richard Allen Lawhead, passenger of flight 409 |
undated | |
Accounts and correspondence gathered by Julianne Couch: |
|||
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | Personal reflection - Robert "Bob" Harrower, member of recovery team |
April 2021 | |
| 1 | Correspondence - Ronald "Ron" Clark, member of recovery team |
1955 | |
| Digital | ahcdm_10494_002 | Video - Interview with Robert "Bob" Bruce, member of recovery team |
March 4, 2021 |
| 1 | Article - "United Flight 409 Disaster Through the Eyes of Recovery Crewmen" by Julianne Couch |
2022 | |
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 6 |
Oral History Interviews (transcripts) (Conducted in 1996 with people involved in the rescue effort.)
|
1996 |
| 1 | 7 |
Newspaper Accounts (various local and regional papers)
|
October 6, 1955 |
| 1 | 8 |
Newspaper Accounts (local, regional, and national papers)
|
October 7, 1955 |
| 1 | 9 |
Newspaper Accounts (local and regional accounts)
|
October 8-20, 1955 |
| 1 | 10 | 1955 | |
| 1 | 11 |
Reflections, Dedications, Exhibits, Presentations (Includes news clippings and photographs of August 25, 2001 Dedication.)
|
1996-2001 |
| 1 | 12 | ||
| 1 | 13 | Audio and Visual Material: |
1955-1996 |
| Box | |||
| 1 | |||
| 1 | |||
| 1 | |||
| 1 | |||
| 1 | |||
| 1 | |||
| 1 | |||
| Digital | ahcdm_10494_001 | October 24, 2016 | |
| 2 | Newspaper Accounts (full-page, multi-page write-ups)
|
1955-1997 | |
| 6 | 1955 | ||
| 5 (Artifact Storage) | Artifacts: Propeller from wreckage of Flight 409 |
||
| 4 | Artifacts: Wreckage of Flight 409 (light housing, metal scraps, cowl motor-actuator piece for cowl flap) |
undated | |
Series II. Douglas Aircraft Company Inc., 1939, 1995Return to Top
Contains information about Douglas Co. and the DC-4.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 14 |
Company History and DC-4 History (Includes a 1939 news clipping and photo copies from a 1995 book about the history of Douglas and its planes.)
|
1939, 1995 |
Series III. United Air Lines November 1, 1955 Crash, 1956, 1996Return to Top
Contains information about a mid-air bomb explosion of a UAL DC-6 near Loveland, Colorado.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 15 |
Published Accounts (Newspaper clipping and type written account of crash that may have been linked to the Medicine Bow crash.)
|
1956, 1996 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
Corporate Names
Geographical Names
Form or Genre Terms
Processed by John Richard Waggener
2006
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
