Tragedy in the skies: Striking photos show horrific 1960 Brooklyn airline collision that sparked new era of crash investigations relying on 'black boxes'

By Beth Stebner
Updated: 06:20 EDT, 13 January 2012

Decades before the September 11th terrorist attacks, New York City saw another tragic event in its skies, when two airliners collided in mid-air over Brooklyn, weeks before Christmas.

Two passenger planes – United Airlines Flight 826 and Trans World Airlines Flight 266 – collided while they were making their descents toward Idlewild and LaGuardia on December 16, 1960, leaving a trail of carnage and flames in their wake.

But out of the tragedy, a new era of airline safety measures was instigated, including the way flight recorders - commonly called black boxes - are used to investigate airline crashes.

WARNING: Photos may be disturbing to some readers

Disaster: A United DC-8 crashed into the Brooklyn neighbourhood of Park Slope after slamming into another flight mid-air

Where to begin? When the United jet crashed on December 16, 1960, it set ablaze more than 200 homes in the neighbourhood of Victorian town houses

To protect and serve: More than 2,500 firefighters and policemen arrived at the grisly scene to battle the raging flames

Early on that December morning, the United Airlines flight was flying from O’Hare Airport in Chicago to Idlewild Airport, now John F Kennedy International Airport. The Douglas DC-8 carried 84 people, including seven crew members.

It overshot its holding point by nearly 12 miles, and collided with the TWA plane, a Lockheed Super Constellation carrying 44 people from Columbus, Ohio to LaGuardia. Officials say the snowy weather also played a role in the collision.

Shortly after 10.30am that morning, the DC-8 crashed into the quiet Park Slope neighbourhood of Brooklyn, which was in the midst of preparing for the upcoming holidays.

Residents were horrified to see a passenger jet’s plane wing careening down a narrow street. Next, there was an explosion, as the plane crashed to the neighbourhood, demolishing the Pillar of Fire church as well as several houses. The explosion as well as flying debris blew out many nearby windows.

Their eyes were watching God: Onlookers to the carnage look on helplessly as much of the neighbourhood remained in flame

Timeline of tragedy: Eyewitnesses said that after they heard a whistling noise and saw the plane crash into Pillar of Fire Church, left

Pillar of fire: Firefighters take away a body on a stretcher (left) while a police officer and a detective inspect a piece of the TWA flight in a Staten Islander's yard (right)

Grisly sight: Firemen, each wearing expressions of horror, pull corpses from the wreckage of the flight. There were 83 people aboard United Airlines Flight 826

Ten miles away, the TWA flight crashed onto a small military field, killing all aboard the plane. The New York Daily News reported that wreckage was strewn four miles, miraculously, no one on the on the ground was killed.

Those in Brooklyn weren’t so lucky. The plane’s pilot made a desperate effort to land at LaGuardia, but instead landed at Seventh Avenue and Sterling Place in the heart of Park Slope. What was moments ago an idyllic Christmas scene had turned into carnage – twisted metal, burned plane pieces, and charred corpses littered the streets. 

The New York Daily News reported that more than 200 homes were ablaze, and six on the ground – including a Christmas tree seller, a butcher, and a dentist – were dead.

Unbelievable sight: The crash happened at the intersection of Sterling and Seventh Avenues in Park Slope, and looks more like a scene from a post-apocalyptic film

Amid the snow and slush: Firefighters carry away yet another victim. Only one person survived the crash - an 11-year-old boy who died a day later from severe burns

A point of contention: The United Airlines flight was said to have been 12 miles off of its mark, but New York's air-traffic control was also deemed liable for the collision

Tangle of metal and wires: One of the plane's jet engines and wings can be seen as well as the ruins of a car in the midst of indistinguishable rubble

The 2,500 responders comprised of police and fire crews found only one survivor in the entire wreckage – an 11-year-old boy named Stephen Baltz of Wilmette, Illinois, who had been flying alone to join his mother, who was waiting for him at the airport.

He told a doctor that he had seen snow falling on New York City from the plane. ‘It looked like a picture out of a fairy book. It was a beautiful sight.’ Stephen lived for 27 hours, but then succumbed to his injuries.

After subsequent inquiries, investigators concluded the deadly crash was 61 per cent liable to United Airlines, 24 per cent the U.S. government, and 15 per cent for TWA. The worst airline accident of the time also called for a revaluation of air-traffic control systems.

In total, 134 people died from the disaster. Sir Edmund Hillary – one of the first to conquer Mount Everest – had booked a seat on the doomed United Airlines flight, but missed his flight after a late arrival at O’Hare.

On the 50th anniversary of the tragedy, a granite monument was revealed in nearby Greenwood Cemetery.

Sign of the times: The New York Times said the Park Slope neighbourhood was 'in transition' after more lower-income families moved into the once-fashionable area

On another island: Ten miles away on Staten Island, Trans World Airlines Flight 266 crashed in a military field, killing all 44 on board

Another scene of chaos: The New York Daily News described the Staten Island wreckage to resemble a battlefield, with bodies and Christmas presents strewn across the field