December 16, 2013, marked the 53rd anniversary of the 1960 New York mid-air collision, which was considered the worst disaster in aviation history at the time.
At 10:21 am, United Airlines flight 826 left Chicago's O'Hare airport and headed for Idlewild airport (later renamed to JFK) in New York.
At around the same time, TWA flight 266 was heading to La Guardia airport from Dayton, Ohio.
On that snowy day, flight 826 flew 11 miles off course over Staten Island. And at 10:30 am, it collided with flight 266.
All 128 passengers on board were killed except for one.
Six people on the ground were also killed.
A young boy, Stephen Baltz, 11, was discovered in a snow bank in Park Slope. He was taken to the hospital where he died 27 hours later.
This event is not only historic for being one of the worst air disasters in history. It also marks the first time black box recorders were used to investigate an aviation disaster.
Tuesday 17 December 2013
http://digitaljournal.com/news/world/today-in-history-1960-nyc-air-disaster/article/364095
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