Crash of TWA Flight 128

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Historical Marker #2344 in Hebron remembers the victims of TWA Flight 128. On Monday, November 20th, 1967, TWA Flight 128 departed Los Angeles bound for Boston Logan Airport. It had scheduled stops at Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. The flight had been cleared to land in Cincinnati on runway 18. As it made its final approach, the 4-engine Convair 880 struck trees and crashed in a Hebron apple orchard. The aircraft skidded and disintegrated.

Of the 75 passengers and 7 crew members, 10 passengers and 2 crew members survived the crash. The visibility was 1.5 miles and there was light snow. The ILS glide slope, runway approach lights, and middle marker were not working due to construction work on the runway. It was determined that the probable cause of the crash was due to the crew trying to conduct a night-time visual approach without proper cross reference in deteriorating weather conditions. The partially light irregular terrain may have also contributed to an illusionary sense of more adequate clearance.

To date this is the deadliest crash in Boone County history. This resulted in the construction of an Approach Lighting System (ALS) for runway 18, which was completed in July 1969.