On Monday, the National Park Service marked the 58th anniversary of the mid-air collision of two commercial airliners over the Grand Canyon with wreath laying ceremonies at the United Airlines Memorial in Grand Canyon Pioneer Cemetery and the TWA Memorial in the Flagstaff Citizens Cemetery.

On Tuesday, July 8, a new National Historic Landmark will be dedicated and I’ll be heading out to that memorial service with fellow instructors from the Grand Canyon Field Institute.

The disaster led to the formation of the Federal Aviation Administration and the air traffic control system that we use today.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/58133268-78/canyon-crash-twa-united.html.csp

Featured image: Computer rendering of aircraft involved in the 1956 Grand Canyon air disaster by Anynobody.