SILVER PLUME, Colo. — Not too far off Interstate 70 before the Eisenhower Tunnel, deep in the trees, hikers can still stumble upon the wreckage of an American tragedy.
A plane carrying players from the Wichita State football team, trainers, the dean of admissions and guests of the program crashed in the mountains on October 2, 1970. On board were Gary King's parents, Ray and Yvonne King.
"Just wonderful, delightful people," said Gary King.
Ray King was a state representative in Kansas, and Yvonne King was a loving mother and talented singer. Both were incredibly active in their community.
"He was a very gregarious guy," Gary King said of his father. "My mother was a delightful, beautiful woman."
The two were season ticket holders for Wichita State football. When the team was flying out of town for a game, Ray and Yvonne King were invited to come along.
"They weren't planning to go, but apparently, a couple that was supposed to go on the trip backed out at the last minute," Gary King recalled.
The plane stopped in Denver to refuel at Stapleton Airport and was supposed to head straight to Utah.
"[For] whatever reason, they made this decision to take the 'scenic route,'" said Gary King. "There were reports of people along the highway that were looking up and seeing the plane fly rather low."
It was a fatal error by the pilots, who were not able to clear the mountains in time and crashed into the trees. Thirty-one people died in the crash, including Ray and Yvonne King.
"You make these deals with God, and you go through all that stuff, but later in the evening, it was pretty clear that they had died in the crash," Gary King said of that day.
Eight players and the co-pilot survived.
An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board later revealed that the crash was caused by that choice to take the scenic route, adding "the aircraft was operated over Clear Creek Valley at an altitude always below the mountaintops." The report also noted that the plane left Stapleton at 5,190lbs over the maximum permissible takeoff weight.
"The Board determines the probable cause of this accident was the intentional operation of the aircraft over a mountain valley route at an altitude from which the aircraft could neither climb over the obstructing terrain ahead, nor execute a successful course reversal. Significant factors were the overloaded condition of the aircraft, the virtual absence of flight planning for the chosen route of flight from Denver to Logan, a lack of understanding on the part of the crew of the performance capabilities and limitations of the aircraft, and the lack of operational management to monitor and appropriately control the actions of the flightcrew."
- Read the full crash report below
Gary King, his six siblings and their families eventually visited the crash site in Colorado many years later.
"That was emotional, it was challenging. It was surprising to see all the wreckage still there," he said.
He hopes to continue to keep the memory of his parents alive.
"Just beloved people, [they] did so much for the community. That's the legacy of what they've left in us children, and our children, and our children's children," said Gary King.
