United Air Lines Flight 409 Crash.

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 at Denver and Salt Lake City, crashed into a ridge of Medicine Bow Peak (12,013 feet), west of Laramie, Wyoming, killing all 66 passengers and crew members. The Wyoming Air National Guard initiated a search when radio contact was lost with the crew. The wreckage was spotted on a ledge high up in the Snowy Range. 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.

From the description of United Air Lines Flight 409 Crash collection, 1939-2001 (bulk 1955) (University of Wyoming, American Heritage Center). WorldCat record id: 53043206

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