That Doesn't Happen Every Day

Crash of Flight 409 near Laramie, Wyoming

January 16, 2023 Dean Petersen Season 2 Episode 1
That Doesn't Happen Every Day
Crash of Flight 409 near Laramie, Wyoming
Show Notes

At 7:28 AM United Airlines Flight 409 crashed in the rugged Snowy Range of southern Wyoming on October 6th 1955. It was the worst civilian air disaster to that date in America killing all 66 people on board. Volunteer mountain climbers were called in from The University of Wyoming in Laramie to help recover the remains. Why exactly the plane crashed still remains debated and we explore some of the stories of the recovery teams and victims on this episode.

Please check out our other plane crash episode called Bomber Mountain.

Visit The American Heritage Center's Digital Collection about the crash.

Read Mel Duncan's digitized report.

See video of the crash site in 1955 here.

-List of the Victims the Crash of Flight 409-
Mrs Clifford B Ackerman
Thomas Ackerman
Robert Ainsley
Capt Charles R Anstadt
Mrs Dorthea Beck
Dwight H Benson
Herbert L Brawner
Mrs Grace Brown
Dale Brown
William H Burgin
Dr James A Bush
Airman 3/C Thomas Campbell
Mrs Helen Collins
Henry S Dean
Dr Lawrence J Devine
Endlehart
Mrs Inez C Evans
Keith F Finlay
Charles Gesas
Gerald Hadley
Mrs Edna F Hanks
Richard D Hawkins
Mrs Marian Kirk
J Lawrence Malnar
Myron Manwill
JE McGarr
Mrs JE McGarr
John B Merrill
Mrs John B Merrill
Lawrence Monk
Dale Elton Nelson
RB Nurre
Parker
AJ Plouff
Mrs C Poulakidas
Eugene Reynolds
Mrs Aceodene Schow
Mrs Betty Seare
Mrs Rhea Smuthwaite
Dr W Alan Stewart
Edward P Taylor
Mrs Darrel Tucker
Deborah Tucker
Mrs Georgie West
Earl West Jr
Staff Sgt Lewis Wood
Deloy A Montano
John P Rice
Joseph D Winsett
Alfredo G Mitotes
Charles L Missner
Ronald E Albright
Roger E Bechtold
Raymond Englehart
Richard D Cook
Daniel R Alexander
Arnold H Boggs
William R Ettleman
Russell L Kugler
Richard Lawhead
Paul C Noetzelmann
Wilbert N Witley
Herbert Willaims