New research shows that the death toll in a 1947 airline crash in Bryce Canyon National Park matched the record for U.S. aviation history up to that time.
The official death toll was set at 52 following the Oct. 24, 1947, crash of the United Airlines DC-6, one less than the national record for the time. But a recent review of mortuary records in Richfield showed that a newborn baby, possibly forced from its mother's womb as a result of the crash, also died, bringing the total to 53. The records show a death certificate was filed for the baby by mortuary workers.The new information was discovered by the daughter of one of the crash victims who is working with the National Park Service to establish a historical exhibit about the crash. Research has also revealed other interesting sidelights to the tragic event.
The crash occurred as the pilot attempted an emergency landing at the Bryce Canyon Airport, an airstrip built by the Works Progress Administration as part of the nation's emergency airport system. The plane reportedly caught fire and crashed just 1,500 yards short of the runway despite the efforts of Captain E.L. McMillen, who minutes before the crash radioed that he thought the craft might make the runway after passengers and crew members tossed baggage and other items from the plane in an effort to keep it aloft.
There were no survivors and the number killed was listed on official records as 52, one less than the worst aircraft disaster to that time.
Neal S. Magleby, owner of the Richfield mortuary that handled the bodies, said the official number is in error. He said there was a tiny baby apparently born about the time of the crash or forced from the mother's body on impact. "We filed a death certificate on the infant, so the actual number of victims was 53 instead of 52," he told the Deseret News.
Nancy Ballard, who is conducting research and spearheading the exhibit effort, said when given the new information, "Then the official records of the Federal Aviation Administration and other agencies are wrong. It actually tied for the worst airplane crash in history."
Ballard's mother and a 2-year-old brother died in the crash. She is developing a memorial in cooperation with Bryce Canyon National Park Superintendent Fred Fagergren and park officials. Fagergren's father was chief ranger of Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks at the time of the accident.
Ballard, who lives in Blue River, Wis., said her father grieved over the death of his wife, Dorothy Boonstra, and their young son, Theodore "Butchie" Boonstra, for many years. Shortly before his recent death he told his daughter, "Butch has been calling me."
Then, ironically, "Father died on the anniversary of the crash and within an hour of the time it occurred," Ballard said.
The crash was the first in the nation within a national park boundary, according to Lou Good, Bryce Canyon public information officer. He said witnesses told of seeing passengers and crew throwing luggage and pieces of cabin furnishings out of the smoking plane in a trail that stretched 26 miles behind the crash site.
Several passengers reportedly jumped seconds before the crash.
Five minutes before impact, the pilot radioed, "May make it now, approaching the strip," Good said. But the aircraft crashed, with the force of the impact scattering pieces of the plane and its contents over an area 400 by 800 square feet.
With the Cold War heating up, the Federal Bureau of Investigation initiated a sabotage investigation. But it was later determined the fire started from a fuel overflow during transfer from one tank to another. It was ignited by the cabin heater intake scoop located in the belly of the plane, an area then inaccessible from the cabin.
The accident and subsequent investigation prompted aircraft industry modifications that continue to benefit the flying public today. Good said major modifications were made to give flight crews greater access to isolated areas of the aircraft.
Ballard is seeking additional information from witnesses or anyone who has information about the incident to be included in the exhibit, and the Park Service has established a donation account for those who wish to contribute toward establishing the exhibit.
Ballard's address is Rural Route 2, Box 19, Blue River, Wis., 53518. Telephone (608) 537-2344. Contributions may be mailed to Bryce Canyon National Park, Bryce Canyon, Utah 84717. It should be specified that the donation is for the crash exhibit.