 A Martin 4-0-4, circa 1981, in Florida Airlines livery. | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | October 2, 1970 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain due to pilot error |
| Site | Clear Creek County, Colorado 8 miles (13 km) west of Silver Plume, near the Loveland Ski Area 39°41′36″N 105°52′57″W / 39.69333°N 105.88250°W |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Martin 4-0-4 |
| Operator | Golden Eagle Aviation Inc |
| Registration | N464M |
| Flight origin | Wichita Mid-Continent Airport |
| Stopover | Stapleton International Airport |
| Destination | Logan-Cache Airport |
| Occupants | 40 |
| Passengers | 37 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Fatalities | 31 |
| Injuries | 9 |
| Survivors | 9 |
 |
In clear and calm weather in Colorado at 1:14 p.m. MDT on Friday, October 2, 1970, a chartered Martin 4-0-4 airliner crashed into a mountain eight miles (13 km) west of Silver Plume.[1][2][3][4] Operated by Golden Eagle Aviation Inc, the twin-engined propliner carried 37 passengers and a crew of three; 29 were killed at the scene and two later died of their injuries while under medical care.[5]
It was one of two aircraft carrying the 1970 Wichita State Shockers football team to Logan, Utah, for a game against Utah State;[6] the second aircraft flew a conventional route and arrived safely in Utah. Pilot errors, including poor in-flight decisions and inadequate pre-flight planning, were officially reported as leading to the crash.[7][page needed]
- ^ "13 gridders die in air crash". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. October 3, 1970. p. 1.
- ^ "29 killed in Colorado air tragedy". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. UPI. October 3, 1970. p. 1.
- ^ "Air tragedy in the Rockies". Rocky Mountain News. October 3, 1970. p. 1. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
- ^ Sanchez, Robert (October 2010). "The Crash". 5280 Magazine. Archived from the original on December 25, 2014. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
- ^ "Memorial '70 at Wichita State". Archived from the original on January 29, 2015. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
- ^ Mondout, Patrick (2004). "Air Crash In Rockies Kills Wichita State Football Players". Super70s.com. Archived from the original on February 27, 2004. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
NTSBwas invoked but never defined (see the help page).