wichita state plane crash site

Lewis doesn’t know how far he got before those miners found him. Instead, their memories are preserved through families, teammates, friends and the school. A reception will be held on the stadium concourse, then later in the day are planned screenings of short documentaries filmed about the crash. Christian sat two rows ahead of Lewis. "[5], Wichita State and Utah State had played in five of the previous six seasons, but never met again in football. A special time to donate to the Football ’70 Memorial Scholarship. That decision proved to be deadly when one plane went down, taking the lives of 32 people on board, including members of the Wichita State University football team, coaches and boosters. The plane crashed into a mountainside in Colorado, killing 31 people on board. A shirt for the Wichita State University Shockers football team sits on the hillside as part of the memorial as teammates, family members and friends visit the crash site … The scenery stopped in the canyon of Mount Trelease, above where the Eisenhower Tunnel was being constructed around I-70, 60 miles west of Denver. By the time Duren graduated, he was “a superstar,” Featherstone said. [citation needed]. [8], The two aircraft were dubbed "Gold" and "Black" after the school colors. That is where the two planes took two vastly different paths into history leading to the Wichita State Crash. The report concluded the crew did not allow enough time for the charts to be studied properly to avoid high terrain before takeoff commenced. “I asked Glenn, ‘you think it works? When Featherstone left John Marshall, Duren was a runt on the B team. [5], Classes at Wichita State were canceled for Monday, October 5, and a memorial service was held that evening on campus at Cessna Stadium. A roadside memorial plaque listing the names of the victims is located near the Colorado crash site, adjacent to westbound Interstate 70, at Dry Gulch at milepost 217 (39°41′47″N 105°52′25″W / 39.6965°N 105.8736°W / 39.6965; -105.8736), about two miles (3 km) east of the Eisenhower Tunnel. Lewis lives in Overland Park, Kansas, about six miles south of Interstate 70. None may be as fascinating or sobering as the wreckage of the 1970 Wichita State University crash. Mary Lynne dropped out of college to help care for her siblings in Hesston. Wichita State University built a memorial for those who died from the crash called Memorial '70. Then he informed the rest of the players and coaches on the Black Plane of the Gold Plane crash. Could have been on Rusty Featherstone’s list. [4] At 1:14 p.m. MDT, the "Gold" aircraft struck trees on the east slope of Mount Trelease, 1,600 feet (490 m) below its summit, and crashed. The group would never make it to Utah. Site of 1970 Wichita State plane crash. 50 Years After the Wichita State Crash . A dazed Hoheisel and a few of his teammates were met on the mountain by a construction worker who was helping build the Eisenhower Tunnel on I-70, below the crash site. [7], About three months before the crash, Wichita State contracted Golden Eagle Aviation to supply a Douglas DC-6B, to fly the team to away games for the 1970 season. • Tom Shedden, offensive tackle, Putnam City High School. Almost every day, Dave Lewis walks out onto his back deck, gingerly, because his left leg remains a medical textbook, after six surgeries and four total knee replacements. Of the 40 on board, 31 died either in the crash or as a result of injuries sustained in it. “But of course, nobody planned on COVID.”. [5][15][16] The remaining members of the Wichita State team, with the NCAA and Missouri Valley Conference allowing freshman players to fill out the squad, decided to continue the 1970 season; it was later designated the "Second Season. Of the 40 on board, 31 died. "[7][8], The USU president, vice president, provost, athletic director, and athletic information officer were all unavailable in the immediate aftermath of the crash, leaving the game to be canceled by John S. Flannery, a USU Information Services employee. “We do so to remember and honor our friends and to renew our relationships with each other,” Featherstone said. On Friday October 2 in that year, at 1:14 p.m., a Martin 4-0-4 aircraft flown by Golden Eagle Aviation crashed into a mountain eight miles west of Silver Plume, Colorado. [7] During the flight to Denver he visited passengers in the cabin, advising them that after refueling they would take a scenic route, near Loveland Ski Area and Mount Sniktau, the proposed alpine skiing venues for the 1976 Winter Olympics, recently awarded to Denver in May. HESSTON—Gary King played the role of a victim for a while after the Wichita State University plane crash that claimed his parents on Oct. 2, 1970. Eventually, a movie was made. It crashed around 1 p.m. about 40 miles west of Denver on Mount Trelease. [14], 1970 Wichita State Shockers football team, Mondout, Patrick (2005), Air Crash In Rockies Kills Wichita State Football Players, Super70s.com, Retrieved 2009-09-10, NTSB Aircraft Accident Report, SA-421, File No. He started throwing up blood. A Wichita State University flag hangs from a tree Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020, above the crash site of the Martin 404 twin-engine plane that crashed into … Friends and family members of the victims of the plane crash that killed most of the Wichita State football team go over the crash site last July. Forty-three days after the Wichita State plane crash, the Marshall University football team plane crashed, returning from a game at East Carolina. I noticed we were quite a bit below the top of the mountains. And Featherstone specifically wants Oklahomans to remember four of the 31: Four Oklahomans among the 31 aboard an airplane that entered a Colorado canyon and never came out. Of the 40 on board, 31 died. Photos are courtesy of WSU Alum, Greg Records. But Featherstone has a particular mission. The NTSB report stated a belief that many on board survived the initial impact, based on the testimony of survivors and rescuers. Memorial '70: Survivors reflect on life after WSU plane crash - KAKE News [14] The first officer (company president) survived; he was flying the plane from the left seat. Duren told Featherstone there was an empty seat on the black plane. A plane carrying 26 student-athletes, athletic officials and some fans traveled to Logan, Utah for a game against Utah State. You can also view his personality page at oklahoman.com/berrytramel. A plane carrying the Wichita State football team crashed while traveling to a game at Utah State on Oct. 2, 1970. Lewis’ seat belt was off. Berry Tramel, a lifelong Oklahoman, sports fan and newspaper reader, joined The Oklahoman in 1991 and has served as beat writer, assistant sports editor, sports editor and columnist. Both airplanes refueled at Denver’s Stapleton Airport. [7], Upon arrival in Wichita, the two aircraft were loaded with luggage and the passengers were boarded. One of the planes proceeded to Utah via southern Wyoming, avoiding Colorado’s high mountain wall. “We always thought the 50th would be the biggest” reunion, Featherstone said. Decades after a tragic plane crash took the lives of 31 people, families are still coping with their loss. [6] The four-engined DC-6 was a large, powerful aircraft that could accommodate the entire team. The designated "Black" plane transported the reserve players, assistant coaches, and other support personnel. Pilot errors, including poor in-flight decisions and inadequate pre-flight planning, were officially reported as leading to the crash. Lewis and teammate Glenn Kostal were placed in a miner’s shack so they could lay down. Lewis takes a list with him onto the deck. Fifty years ago today — Oct. 2, 1970 — I walked into the student newspaper office at Utah State University expecting to be given media credentials for the first college Greg Hansen: Remembering the Wichita State plane crash, 50 years later | Greg Hansen | tucson.com They know that at some point, the memorials and memories will burn only in their souls. On 2 October 1970, a twin-engine plane carrying Wichita State University football players, staff and supporters crashed near Loveland Pass enroute to a game in Utah. [7] Crash survivor Rick Stephens was a senior guard and stated in 2013, "...as we flew along over I-70, that there were old mines and old vehicles above us. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, and nature trips. Log in or subscribe to read and leave comments. The survivors are getting older. Fifty years since one of the planes took the traditional route from Denver after a fuel stop, and the other plane took a scenic route. (2000, October 1). This sent me back to the tragic day, 50 years ago, when Randy was killed. It’s here a plane carrying the Wichita State football team crashed while traveling to a game at Utah State on Oct. 2, 1970. Fifty years after his grandfather was killed in the crash of a plane carrying WSU football players and others to a game in Utah, Evan Fahrbach is pursuing an MBA at Wichita State with the help of a scholarship created to honor those in the crash. • Johnny Duren, wide receiver, John Marshall High School. The Marshall crash seemed to overshadow the Wichita State crash. The memories of the 31 people who died in a plane crash on Oct. 2, 1970 — including 14 members of the football team, 14 staff and boosters, and three crew members — are honored every year at Wichita State’s Memorial ’70 observance, but survivors, friends and family choose to remember their loved ones by hiking up to the crash site located on a mountain west of Silver Plume, Colorado. 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At oklahoman.com/berrytramel have been on Rusty Featherstone ’ s High mountain wall,...

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