TWA Crash Site

A hike to the Sandia mountains in search for the TWA crash site

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• twa
• crach
• site
• sandia
• new
• mexico
• albuquerque
• airplane
• buggs
• maretnes

[sandiaman1]

Interesting. I have hiked and camped along many of the trails in the Sandia Mountains. I remember reading about this plane crash in some historical books and sites pertaining to local Albuquerque history in the past. I didn't realize the crash site was close to the track the Sandia Tram crosses over. Also amazing that there is that much wreckage still there. This will be another hike to in the very near future. I live right next to the west Sandia foothills.

[buggs2001]

Not very many people know about this.

[jdurose]

Anybody hiked to this site recently? I'm a very experienced hiker so some friends want me to take them up there and I worry about how difficult it will be for them

[buggs2001]

It's not extremely difficult, but also is not a walk in the park. Doable if you are in shape. On the fist hike I got lost because I relied on GPS and it was giving me false readings.

[westindude]

so the ntsb left all the wreckage there?

[buggs2001]

Most of it.

[flyingxk]

RIP I was born that year

[cowscantdomath]

Heading up there today with a friend.

[tackle98]

Part 4 of my commentary - named J. Larry DeCelles investigated the crash on behalf of the pilots union - The Air Line Pilots Association in an attempt to get an answer more definitive than just 'reasons unknown'. His investigations (stemming from personal experiences with faulty fluxgate compass systems on the 404 as a line captain), caused the CAB to repopen the case and issue updated Probable Causes twice more. The final verdict was that while the reason for the course error was unknown,

[tackle98]

Part 3 of my commentary - and impacted the vertical face of 'the Dragon's Teeth' about 280 feet above the cruising altitude of 9000' above Sea Level. The Civil Aeronautics Board was at that time responsible for investigating air crashes and came out with a Probable Cause that stated that Captain Spong must have INTENTIONALLY flown his aircraft along that course "for reasons unknown." Anyone that knew Ivan Spong would dispute that supposition, and over the next five years, another TWA Captain..

[tackle98]

Part 2 of my commentary - The crew and all 13 passengers perished. It is believed that a mechanical failure of the fluxgate compass system (gyrocompass) caused an erroneous heading to be followed after the aircraft rolled out of its initial climbing turn while in the clouds. Just prior to the crash, with the airplane flying up the canyon, the pilots must have caught a glimpse of the mountain close aboard on their right for the aircraft was headed almost due west,

[tackle98]

Time of the crash was 0713 on Saturday morning, Feb 19,1955. The airplane had been airborne for only 8 minutes after taking off on Runway 11 (now 12) at Albuquerque Sunport. The flight plan called for a climb directly north of the airport (well west of the Sandia Mountain) and once clear, to the northeast towards it's destination of Santa Fe, New Mexico. The aircraft was a Martin 4-0-4, and was crewed by Captain Ivan Spong, First Officer James J. Creason, and Hostess Sharon Schoening.

[1999sebring]

@b747dude prolly would have cost to much to pull it out it's not like it is now where they get every bit of the plane

[SinclairisCool]

The Plane was a Martin 4-0-4