1956 Midair Collision 70th Anniversary Commemoration Services
June 30th Schedule, Grand Canyon South Rim
- 9:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. at Desert View Overlook’s Amphitheater
Moments of Silence at precisely 11:28 – 11:34 a.m., to reflect on what happened exactly seventy years ago. - 12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Lunch at Yavapai Tavern
- 2:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. Pioneer Cemetery, United Air Lines Memorial
- 3:00 p.m. – 6:15 p.m. The Shrine of the Ages Auditorium: “Meet the Experts” Symposium. Joint program with the National Park Service, The Patrons group, and the Grand Canyon Historical Society. Open to the public.
3:15 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.: Individual Speakers
John Hasha – Patrons member, nephew of United Air Lines Flight 718 Flight Engineer Girardo Fiore, and secretary of GCHS.
Mike Nelson – Patrons Group President and author of We Are Going In: The Story of the 1956 Grand Canyon Midair Collision
Ian Hough, NPS – Archaeological and site work for the National Historic Landmark nomination.
Mike McComb – FAA crash investigator and aviation archaeologist
5:15-6:15: Q&A and Panel Discussion
With Ian Hough, Mike McComb, Mike Nelson, and Tom Sulpizio (GCHS president, son of United flight 718 passenger Thomas J. Sulpizio, and Patrons group vice president).
July 1st Schedule, Flagstaff
10:30am – 1:00pm Memorial Service at TWA Memorial Gravesite
Citizens Cemetery, 1300 S. San Francisco St, Flagstaff