Aviation Artifact Archive Galleries

Aerophilately (Crash Covers) : Since the early 1920s, most commercial passenger and cargo aircraft carried mail for the postal service. When an aircraft accident occurs, the damaged and undamaged mail is collected by postal inspectors at the site. The mail is than processed, and after being stamped or marked delayed it is forwarded to the addressee on the envelope. In most cases, after receiving the mail the envelope is tossed in the trash. In some cases they were kept and saved by collectors. The pieces of damaged air mail are known as "Crash Covers". Crash Covers commemorate and symbolize, as no other covers do, that part of air mail history that Charles Lindbergh was pointing to--the side of risk, the side of sacrifice--when he wrote in his book, "The Spirit of St. Louis". This gallery features not only the LostFlights Collection of crash covers, but also covers from other collectors.

Aerophilately (Crash Covers)

Since the early 1920s, most commercial passenger and cargo aircraft carried mail for the postal service. When an aircraft accident occurs, the damaged and undamaged mail is collected by postal inspectors at the site. The mail is than processed, and after being stamped or marked delayed it is forwarded to the addressee on the envelope. ...

Updated: Jun 12, 2009 7:10pm PST

Site No. AZ:1:86:06:CC : On June 18, 1986, a DHC-6-300 Twin Otter tour aircraft operated by Grand Canyon Airlines and a Bell 206 JetRanger III Helicopter operated by Helitech, Inc. collided over the southwestern slope of Mencius Temple in the Grand Canyon. All 25 persons aboard were killed. After the NTSB's on-site investigation, wreckage from both aircraft were removed by salvage teams and stored on private land for several years. With permission from the land owner, I recovered the items pictured in this gallery as part of establishing an historical archive collection of this accident. The LostFlights wreckage recoveries occurred during the early 1990s and recent visits to the wreckage dump site in 2005-2008.

Site No. AZ:1:86:06:CC

On June 18, 1986, a DHC-6-300 Twin Otter tour aircraft operated by Grand Canyon Airlines and a Bell 206 JetRanger III Helicopter operated by Helitech, Inc. collided over the southwestern slope of Mencius Temple in the Grand Canyon. All 25 persons aboard were killed. After the NTSB's on-site investigation, wreckage from both aircraft w ...

Updated: Aug 21, 2008 12:14am PST

Site No. NV:1:58:04:CM : On April 21, 1958, a Douglas DC-7 operated by United Air Lines collided with a USAF F-100F military training jet at 21,000 feet. The collision occurred ten miles south of Las Vegas, Nevada and killed 49 persons including the two pilots of the military jet. After the large pieces of wreckage were removed from the impact site of the airliner, officials from United Air Lines wasted little time by burying the remaining debris from the curious public. For nearly four decades the main impact site of the DC-7 had been untouched. It's location forgotten and unknown. During 1995, after an extensive search, the DC-7 impact site was re-located. The site however was far from safe as commercial developers had already begun surveying the land for future construction. It was decided to try and save as much historical material as we could from destruction. Using conventional archaeological mapping and excavation techniques, the DC-7 main impact site yielded an amazing collection of artifacts that were recovered, documented, and preserved. In addition to the DC-7 main impact site, material was also recovered and documented from the DC-7 engine impact site, F-100F impact site, and the collision debris field located in between the two main impact locations. Today, the DC-7 main impact site has been graded and buried over for the development of a commercial business. The debris field is slowly being developed over as housing and commercial expansion continues to the south of Las Vegas.

Site No. NV:1:58:04:CM

On April 21, 1958, a Douglas DC-7 operated by United Air Lines collided with a USAF F-100F military training jet at 21,000 feet. The collision occurred ten miles south of Las Vegas, Nevada and killed 49 persons including the two pilots of the military jet. After the large pieces of wreckage were removed from the impact site of the airl ...

Updated: Aug 04, 2008 3:27pm PST

Site No. AZ:1:89:09:C :

Site No. AZ:1:89:09:C

Updated: Aug 02, 2008 12:09am PST