The 1955 bombing of a Denver flight has gone largely forgotten. A Colorado group wants a memorial

In The NOCO

On November 1, 1955, a man planted a bomb aboard a United Airlines plane shortly before it departed from Denver. The plane exploded in midflight over beet fields in Weld County, killing all 44 people aboard. It was a mass murder that grabbed headlines across the country. And viewers saw footage of the trial on TV – which was unusual then.

If you've never heard of this crime, though, you're hardly alone. There's no marker at the site of the crash, near what is now Firestone.

A local nonprofit group hopes to change that. The Flight 629 Memorial Committee wants to create a memorial to honor the lives lost in the tragedy, as well as the nearby residents who turned up to try to search for survivors. They hope to complete it before the 70th anniversary, which will happen in 2025.

Andrew J. Field is a retired Staff Attorney for the Colorado Supreme Court, where he specialized in criminal law. He’s the author of Mainliner Denver: The Bombing of Flight 629. He spoke with host Erin O’Toole about the bombing and its legacy for modern air travel.

The Flight 629 Memorial Committee plans to hold a number of fundraising events leading up to the 70th anniversary, including a concert at the Rialto Theater in Loveland on August 3. Read more in the Greeley Tribune here.

Donations can be made to the committee’s GoFundMe page.

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Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner

Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.