Tragically, major reforms in safety often follow devastating incidents. Prior to 1958, no Federal Aviation Administration existed to oversee and coordinate civil aviation across the country. While air traffic controllers worked long hours directing planes, the structured agency known today had not yet been established. That changed after a pivotal year when the government created the Federal Aviation Agency, later renamed the Federal Aviation Administration. The catalyst was a shocking mid-air collision above the scenic Grand Canyon National Park.

Seven decades earlier, commercial flying remained uncommon for most people. Fewer than one-third of Americans had flown by 1956, compared with roughly 90 percent today who have experienced air travel. Despite lower passenger numbers, sufficient traffic existed for serious incidents. In that year, a collision between a Trans World Airlines plane and a United Airlines aircraft resulted in the loss of all lives aboard both flights.

The doomed journeys of TWA Flight 2 and United Flight 718

On June 30, 1956, TWA Flight 2 prepared to leave Los Angeles International Airport for Kansas City, Missouri. The Lockheed Super Constellation carried 70 passengers and crew but faced a short delay for minor repairs before departing at 9:01 a.m. Minutes later, United Airlines Flight 718, also delayed, lifted off from the same airport. This Douglas DC-7 held 58 people and headed toward Chicago. Their original routes were meant to keep the planes at separate altitudes while passing near the Grand Canyon.

Rough weather at 19,000 feet led the TWA captain to seek a higher cruising level of 21,000 feet. Controllers initially refused because it matched the altitude of Flight 718. Instead, the TWA crew received approval to climb 1,000 feet above the turbulence, placing both aircraft at the same height. Contact with air traffic control soon ended for both planes.

The aircraft collided above the Grand Canyon, scattering debris across the landscape. No reliable witnesses observed the event, unlike more recent incidents. A nearby pilot spotted smoke and, after learning of the missing planes, returned to locate the tail section of the TWA flight. The United wreckage lay roughly a mile away.

Difficult recovery efforts and the birth of the FAA

Locating the sites proved easier than recovery, given the steep canyon terrain. United Airlines hired expert Swiss mountaineers to reach the wreckage. Although a paramedic joined the team, none of the 128 people on board survived the impact. The force of the collision left no chance of survival.

The tragedy drew national attention and led the White House to review air traffic procedures. President Dwight D. Eisenhower had already asked World War I aviator and Air Force leader Edward Curtis to study control issues. Curtis proposed forming an agency to supervise domestic aviation. Congress approved the Federal Aviation Act in 1958, establishing the Federal Aviation Agency. The name later shifted to Administration in 1967 when the group joined the Department of Transportation.