NEW YORK—On Dec. 16, 1960, Vincent de Paul Flood was flying from Ohio to New York to visit his family for Christmas. The 19-year-old was studying at a Dominican seminary in Columbus, Ohio. He was in the process of deciding whether or not he would become a priest in the order.
Back in Woodlawn, Bronx his mother was eagerly awaiting the arrival of her youngest son, the baby in a family of 13. A radio broadcaster’s voice brought the bad news—United Airlines Flight 826 from Chicago and Trans-World Airline Flight 266 from Dayton and Columbus, Ohio collided midair in the worst air disaster Americans had ever seen.
A phone call to La Guardia Airport where she planned to meet her soon that afternoon confirmed the mother’s worst fears—not a single passenger on either flight survived. That day, 134 people lost their lives, including Vincent de Paul Flood.
“Today marks the first time that a monument stands in memory of all those who died 50 years ago,” said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz at the unveiling of the monument Thursday morning. “All of Brooklyn joins me in thanking Green-Wood Cemetery and President Richard Moylan for this gracious memorial to those who perished but are not forgotten.”
Near a grove of new aspen trees and overlooking a lake in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn stands the eight-foot granite monument bearing the names of those who perished in the crash. Although it took 50 years to erect a monument, the incident has remained etched in the memories of many New Yorkers.
“United aircraft, en route to Idlewild Airport (now JFK) from Chicago O’Hare, was not only going extremely fast for its altitude, but was also 12 miles off-course due to a faulty VOR receiver,” explained Phil Derner Jr. of New York City Aviation, an online publication. A heavy snowfall that day also severely limited visibility.
The United Airplane plane hit the ground at Park Slope, at Seventh Avenue and Sterling Place. The TWA airplane came down on Staten Island. One hundred and thirty-four died, including six people on the ground. One man was walking his dog, and another shoveling snow, as the flaming debris cut their lives short.
Ray Garcia points out in his book, Sterling Place that the multifaceted events of that day are still debated 50 years later. The disaster prompted greater air-safety regulations in the following years.
Jane Flood and Margaret F. Nolan-Flood were 23 and 21, respectively, when they lost their brother Vincent de Paul to this tragic accident. Jane Flood shed tears at Thursday’s ceremony, but maintained, “I’m connected with Vincent. It’s not like at a funeral.” She imagined him looking down on Thursday’s ceremony and saying:
“It was a pretty awful thing, but gee, look at this,” Jane Flood held up a picture of his young face that wore a gentle grin—“and he’d be smiling like this.”
An unexpected surprise, the two sisters found their niece and nephew at the ceremony. In such a large family, said Jane Flood, you don’t always see every niece and nephew or keep in regular contact.
“Vincent brought us together today,” she told them.
Flood’s niece, Judy Flood, was 4 when Vincent died. Fire Department of New York paramedic, Vincent de Paul Flood, 49, bears the name of an uncle he never got a chance to meet.
Vincent de Paul Flood now lies in a Dominican cemetery in South Orange, N.J. The Green-Wood Cemetery is the burial site of three unidentified crash victims. The site was only discovered in August of this year, as a genealogist at the cemetery stumbled across a record for the United Airlines purchase of the lot in 1961. Three unmarked graves now have this monument to tell the story of those who found their final resting place by the Sylvan Lake in Green-Wood Cemetery.
Back in Woodlawn, Bronx his mother was eagerly awaiting the arrival of her youngest son, the baby in a family of 13. A radio broadcaster’s voice brought the bad news—United Airlines Flight 826 from Chicago and Trans-World Airline Flight 266 from Dayton and Columbus, Ohio collided midair in the worst air disaster Americans had ever seen.
A phone call to La Guardia Airport where she planned to meet her soon that afternoon confirmed the mother’s worst fears—not a single passenger on either flight survived. That day, 134 people lost their lives, including Vincent de Paul Flood.
“Today marks the first time that a monument stands in memory of all those who died 50 years ago,” said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz at the unveiling of the monument Thursday morning. “All of Brooklyn joins me in thanking Green-Wood Cemetery and President Richard Moylan for this gracious memorial to those who perished but are not forgotten.”
Near a grove of new aspen trees and overlooking a lake in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn stands the eight-foot granite monument bearing the names of those who perished in the crash. Although it took 50 years to erect a monument, the incident has remained etched in the memories of many New Yorkers.
“United aircraft, en route to Idlewild Airport (now JFK) from Chicago O’Hare, was not only going extremely fast for its altitude, but was also 12 miles off-course due to a faulty VOR receiver,” explained Phil Derner Jr. of New York City Aviation, an online publication. A heavy snowfall that day also severely limited visibility.
The United Airplane plane hit the ground at Park Slope, at Seventh Avenue and Sterling Place. The TWA airplane came down on Staten Island. One hundred and thirty-four died, including six people on the ground. One man was walking his dog, and another shoveling snow, as the flaming debris cut their lives short.
Ray Garcia points out in his book, Sterling Place that the multifaceted events of that day are still debated 50 years later. The disaster prompted greater air-safety regulations in the following years.
Jane Flood and Margaret F. Nolan-Flood were 23 and 21, respectively, when they lost their brother Vincent de Paul to this tragic accident. Jane Flood shed tears at Thursday’s ceremony, but maintained, “I’m connected with Vincent. It’s not like at a funeral.” She imagined him looking down on Thursday’s ceremony and saying:
“It was a pretty awful thing, but gee, look at this,” Jane Flood held up a picture of his young face that wore a gentle grin—“and he’d be smiling like this.”
An unexpected surprise, the two sisters found their niece and nephew at the ceremony. In such a large family, said Jane Flood, you don’t always see every niece and nephew or keep in regular contact.
“Vincent brought us together today,” she told them.
Flood’s niece, Judy Flood, was 4 when Vincent died. Fire Department of New York paramedic, Vincent de Paul Flood, 49, bears the name of an uncle he never got a chance to meet.
Vincent de Paul Flood now lies in a Dominican cemetery in South Orange, N.J. The Green-Wood Cemetery is the burial site of three unidentified crash victims. The site was only discovered in August of this year, as a genealogist at the cemetery stumbled across a record for the United Airlines purchase of the lot in 1961. Three unmarked graves now have this monument to tell the story of those who found their final resting place by the Sylvan Lake in Green-Wood Cemetery.
