The Crash of TWA Flight 260, 70 Years Later

Albuquerque Historical Society Board Member Terry Owen tells the story of the 1955 crash of TWA Flight 260 into the side of the Sandia Mountains, east of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

On February 19, 1955 at 7:03 a.m., Captain Ivan Spong, in command of TWA flight 260, received permission from the control tower to take off from the Albuquerque airport and vector toward Santa Fe for their next stop. Winter storms and clouds were seen to the West and to the East of the city. At 7:05 a.m. the wheels of the 40 passenger Martin 404 aircraft left the ground and ascended northeast toward the cloud-shrouded Sandia mountains. At 7:12, the terrain warning system bells sounded in the cockpit, alerting the crew to impending danger. Through the clouds, a sheer granite cliff face appeared over the nose of the aircraft and the pilot attempted to take evasive action. At 7:13 TWA Flight 260 crashed into the mountain killing all 13 passengers and three crew members. The presentation covers the details of the crash; likely contributing factors; and include both archival and recent photos of the aircraft and the crash site. Recent drone video is also shown to give you a sense of what Captain Spong encountered that fateful day.

Presenter Terry Owen is a retired U.S. Navy officer having served on submarines, submersibles and surface combatant ships. Following his Navy career, he worked at Sandia National Laboratories for 18 years and now operates his own consulting business. In his spare time, he volunteers as a mountain guide for Kirtland Air Force Base Outdoor Recreation and the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club, and pursues outdoor adventures all over the Southwest.