and most of the guys who did survive, Lutz said. Lewis mother turned hysterical, crying and yelling. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. Emily's siblings called 911. Families were eating breakfast and kids were watching cartoons. But the fire still prevented rescuers from getting inside. They "I went into the cockpit area," Stephens says. 31 out of the 40 people on board were killed. ", She had visited him at WSU on weekends, driving through the night with his parents, before enrolling there herself one year later, immersing herself in a social world that revolved around football. Mike Kennedy remembers when the paper bearing the Associated Press bulletin came over Kansas man makes pilgrimage to Continental Divide half century after Wichita State University Plane Crash Site - Silver Plume, Colorado weave through the interview where you ask him questions, that you want the answers To its passengers, the plane seemed quite low, and some of them heard the pilot announce that it was taking the scenic route through the Rocky Mountains. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. His parents would be interred alongside their son many years later. It led to one of the more unlikely games in college football history. Some of them had their clothes burned off and were hurt and were just running like deer. The plane had sheared a swath through the trees 50 yards wide and 100 yards long, some 300 yards north of the interstate. see if it was possible to find out which plane it was.. Dr. Morgan Durham, the only physician in town at the time, administered rudimentary treatment before transferring eleven of the twelve survivors to Denver hospitals. Wichita State has helped me put marketing strategy in a real-world perspective. who served as dean of students at the time of the crash, complimented Knapp on a story Wichita Airplane Crash 1965 - Kansas Historical Society "It is a haunting experience to go up there," Stephens says. On 2 October 1970, a twin-engine plane carrying Wichita State University football players, staff and supporters crashed near Loveland Pass enroute to a game in Utah. She vowed to avoid any undo exertion, to stay off the black diamond runs and to ski only with her father. They urged her to wait, to get through the dark days and to reevaluate afterward. "She would get so distraught," Valory says. His trip to the cockpit had saved his life. Oct. 2, 1970. 'Can we play just one game?' One plane crashed near Silver Plume, Colorado. quiet. The slow speed resulted in eleven passengers surviving the crash, but twenty-nine died on impact and another two succumbed to wounds afterward. hitting the trees. He met a woman who helped him down to a construction site office, where she bandaged his leg. Stephens was thrown out of the plane, landing in front of it. The great memories and friendships you develop Lewis takes a list with him onto the deck. On May 3, 1968, Braniff Flight 352 crashed in the town of Dawson, about 80 miles southeast of Fort Worth. the crash and its aftermath. football broadcast. the aftermath of the tragedies at Wichita State and Marshall (also in 1970). We have set your language to After freeing Featherstones family eventually moved into the country, and he spent his final two seasons of high school at Edmond Memorial. Sedgwick County, Lewis leg was so badly damaged, his foot was hanging sideways. Climbing into the cockpit alongside Capt. We Are Marshall. Marshall football rebounded and has thrived. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. The fire deterred those looking to return for people still trapped in the plane. The planes sudden bank to the left, and then immediately to the right, decreased its velocity to the point of a stall. "Mom, I'm alive -- it's a miracle," one player would say into a pay phone. Suits were also pending in federal court on grounds that the FAA erroneously certified the plane as airworthy. Oklahoma, He didn't like flying much and was in the habit of picking up a little something at the airport -- Dramamine, if they had it -- and dozing through flights. Genevieve getting college scholarships. Lutz, B. The plane started shaking. Please try again later. with filming and production of the 9-minute video. He had held his high school's shot put record. Bethel. We really focused on the moments he knew the plane was going to crash, waking up and Tramel: How 1970 Wichita State football plane crash survivors are Custer County, She said yes. Judy Lane, flight attendant Mallory Kimmel, WSU football player Ben and Helen Wilson, WSU head coach and his wife 27 memorials Page of 2 Marvin G Brown Jr. 1 Oct 1951 - 2 Oct 1970 Prairie Mound Cemetery The second craft headed straight west out of Denver toward the mountains. When the aircrafts stopped for fueling in Denver, the players stretched their legs on the tarmac. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. Her buzzer-beater off the glass drove the crowd into a frenzy. LOVELAND, Colo. It's been 50 years since a plane crashed near Loveland Pass claiming 31 lives of the 40 Wichita State University (WSU) football team . A14. Construction worker Jerry Meyer told the press, we passed seven of the survivors coming down the hill. Hearing the full story and feeling I wish it had been a cathartic process for those guys, but I always felt their pain, Emily had inherited it from her grandfather. They were thrown with their seats. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. Today, a memorial below the crash site on Interstate 70 commemorates the tragedy, and the FAA has gone on to pass stricter regulations with each passing year.