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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)
1955 (bulk)
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.
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Historical Note

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.

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Content Description

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.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Copyright Information

The 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 Collections

The 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 Copies

Digital reproductions of select material from this collection are available at http://digitalcollections.uwyo.edu:8180/luna/servlet/uwydbuwy~136~136.

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Administrative Information

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.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Container List

Processed by John Richard Waggener
2006

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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