1960 New York mid-air collision

==Aircraft and crews==

==Aircraft and crews==

[[File:San Francisco Airport Jul 24, 1960 Jetway into United Douglas DC-8 jet N8013U.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Empennage|tail assembly]] of N8013U, the Douglas DC-8 involved in the collision.]]

[[File:San Francisco Airport Jul 24, 1960 Jetway into United Douglas DC-8 jet N8013U.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Empennage|tail assembly]] of N8013U, the Douglas DC-8 involved in the collision.]]

United Air Lines Flight 826, ''Mainliner Will Rogers'', [[Aircraft registration|registered]] as {{Airreg|N|8013U|,}} was a DC-8-11 carrying 77 passengers and 7 crew members from [[O'Hare International Airport]] in Chicago to Idlewild Airport in [[Queens]]. The crew consisted of [[Pilot in command|Captain]] Robert Sawyer (age 46), [[First officer (aviation)|First Officer]] Robert Fiebing (40), [[flight engineer|Flight Engineer]] Richard Pruitt (30) and four stewardesses.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Swopes |first=Bryan |title=TWA Flight 266 {{!}} This Day in Aviation |url=https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/tag/twa-flight-266/ |access-date=2023-05-09 |language=en-US}}</ref> Captain Sawyer was a highly experienced pilot, having accumulated 19,100 flight hours, of which 344 were in the DC-8. First Officer Fiebing had accumulated 8,400 flight hours, of which 416 were in the DC-8. Flight Engineer Pruitt had accumulated 8,500 flight hours, of which 379 were in the DC-8.<ref name="cabreport" />

United Air Lines Flight 826, ''Mainliner Will Rogers'', [[Aircraft registration|registered]] as {{Airreg|N|8013U|,}} was a DC-8-11 carrying 77 passengers and 7 crew members from [[O'Hare International Airport]] in Chicago to Idlewild Airport in [[Queens]]. The crew consisted of [[Pilot in command|Captain]] Robert Sawyer (age 46), [[First officer (aviation)|First Officer]] Robert Fiebing (40), [[flight engineer|Flight Engineer]] Richard Pruitt (30) and four stewardesses.<ref name="thisdayinaviation">{{Cite web |last=Swopes |first=Bryan |title=TWA Flight 266 |url=https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/tag/twa-flight-266/ |access-date=2023-05-08 |website=This Day in Aviation}}</ref> Captain Sawyer was a highly experienced pilot, having accumulated 19,100 flight hours, of which 344 were in the DC-8. First Officer Fiebing had accumulated 8,400 flight hours, of which 416 were in the DC-8. Flight Engineer Pruitt had accumulated 8,500 flight hours, of which 379 were in the DC-8.<ref name="cabreport" />

Trans World Airlines Flight 266, ''Star of Sicily'', registered as {{Airreg|N|6907C|,}} was a Super Constellation carrying 39 passengers and 5 crew members from [[Dayton, Ohio|Dayton]] and [[Columbus, Ohio]], to [[LaGuardia Airport]] in Queens. The crew consisted of Captain David Wollam (age 39), First Officer Dean Bowen (32), Flight Engineer LeRoy "Lee" Rosenthal (30) and two stewardesses, Margaret Gernat and Patricia Post.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Swopes |first=Bryan |title=TWA Flight 266 {{!}} This Day in Aviation |url=https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/tag/twa-flight-266/ |access-date=2023-05-08 |language=en-US}}</ref> Captain Wollam had accumulated 14,583 flight hours, 267 of which were in the Constellation. First Officer Bowen had accumulated 6,411 flight hours, of which 268 were on the Constellation. Flight Engineer Rosenthal had accumulated 3,561 flight hours, of which 204 were in the Constellation.<ref name="cabreport" /><ref name="1960nyccrashap">{{Cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/1960-plane-collision-over-nyc-spurred-improvements|title=1960 plane collision over NYC spurred improvements|date=2015-03-27|agency=Associated Press|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-28}}</ref> ''Star of Sicily''{{'s}} sister ship N6902C, ''Star of the Seine'', was destroyed in [[1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision|another mid-air collision]] with a United Air Lines flight in 1956.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rft-519-united-airlines-flight-286-trans-world-airlines/id1071171446?i=1000529664355&l=tr|title = Ready for Takeoff - Turn Your Aviation Passion into a Career: RFT 519: United Airlines Flight 286/Trans World Airlines Flight 266 Apple Podcasts'te}}</ref>

Trans World Airlines Flight 266, ''Star of Sicily'', registered as {{Airreg|N|6907C|,}} was a Super Constellation carrying 39 passengers and 5 crew members from [[Dayton, Ohio|Dayton]] and [[Columbus, Ohio]], to [[LaGuardia Airport]] in Queens. The crew consisted of Captain David Wollam (age 39), First Officer Dean Bowen (32), Flight Engineer LeRoy "Lee" Rosenthal (30) and two stewardesses, Margaret Gernat and Patricia Post.<ref name="thisdayinaviation" /> Captain Wollam had accumulated 14,583 flight hours, 267 of which were in the Constellation. First Officer Bowen had accumulated 6,411 flight hours, of which 268 were on the Constellation. Flight Engineer Rosenthal had accumulated 3,561 flight hours, of which 204 were in the Constellation.<ref name="cabreport" /><ref name="1960nyccrashap">{{Cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/1960-plane-collision-over-nyc-spurred-improvements|title=1960 plane collision over NYC spurred improvements|date=2015-03-27|agency=Associated Press|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-28}}</ref> ''Star of Sicily''{{'s}} sister ship N6902C, ''Star of the Seine'', was destroyed in [[1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision|another mid-air collision]] with a United Air Lines flight in 1956.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rft-519-united-airlines-flight-286-trans-world-airlines/id1071171446?i=1000529664355&l=tr|title = Ready for Takeoff - Turn Your Aviation Passion into a Career: RFT 519: United Airlines Flight 286/Trans World Airlines Flight 266 Apple Podcasts'te}}</ref>

==Background==

==Background==