Brooklyn Midair Collision 50 Years Later
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/ AP) -- A historic cemetery has a new memorial honoring the 134 people who died in a midair plane collision over Brooklyn 50 years ago, leaving burning wreckage and bloodied bodies scattered over two boroughs.
Podcast
1010 WINS' John Montone Talks to Crash Eyewitness
Podcast
WCBS 880's Marla Diamond at the memorial
The collision of a United Air Lines DC-8 and a TWA propeller plane left a legacy of improved air safety in its wake after crashing one mile above Park Slope on Dec. 16, 1960.
1010 WINS' John Montone spoke to some of the eyewitnesses.
Tom Regan, who was then 20-years-old, saw the DC-8 fall out of the sky and onto Brooklyn's Sterling Place, where the plane's wing sliced his apartment building in half.
"I heard this loud, winding noise," said Regan. "I looked over my shoulder and there was the wing of the plane catching on to the roof of the apartment building I just had left."
He hit the ground. The fuselage crashed into a church and exploded.
"The only thing that was left was the sign," Regan said. "Pillar of Fire Church."
Nine other buildings were destroyed, as well.
Podcast
WCBS 880's Marla Diamond with the president of Green-Wood Cemetery
Bloodied bodies and the burning wreckage of the TWA flight were scattered across Staten Island's snow-covered Miller Field.
It was first crash in which investigators made extensive use of so-called black boxes and it spurred a revamping of the air traffic control system to prevent future tragedies.
The 8-foot granite monument is being unveiled Thursday. The names of the victims of the Dec. 16, 1960 crash are etched on a bronze plaque.
The United plane destroyed at least 10 buildings when it crashed into the Park Slope neighborhood.
The memorial is at Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery.
Podcast
WCBS 880's Steve Knight with The New York Times' James Barron
(CLICK HERE to read Barron's coverage.)
It is the final resting place of many notables, including composer Leonard Bernstein.
