KHS to Dedicate Historical Marker at Crash Site in Boone County

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Sept. 12, 2012) — The Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) will dedicate a historical marker at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 23, at the 3000 block of State Route 237 in Hebron, to memorialize an aviation tragedy, the 1955 midair collision of two aircraft near Hebron.

Trans World Airlines Flight 694 had taken off from the airport near Hebron, bound for Cleveland, on Jan. 12, 1955, when it was struck by a private DC-3 and fell to the ground at 9:04 a.m. The DC-3 was en route from Battle Creek, Mich. to Lexington, Ky., when the impact occurred. Thirteen passengers and crew on Flight 694 — including one Kentuckian — and two crew members on the DC-3 perished. The Civil Aeronautics Board ruled the probable cause of the accident was that the DC-3 was operating in the area as unknown traffic and without clearance. This was the first fatal commercial airplane accident at the nearby airport since it began its operations in 1947.

The Kentucky Historical Marker Program, administered by KHS in cooperation with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, commemorates historical sites, events and personalities throughout the state. Through the program, the wealth of Kentucky history is made accessible to the public on markers along the state’s roadways. The markers are on-the-spot history lessons that add drama and interest to the countryside for Kentuckians as well as tourists. They are also available in an online database at www.history.ky.gov/markers.

For more information, contact Becky Riddle, Kentucky Historical Marker program coordinator, at 502-564-1792, ext. 4474 or becky.riddle@ky.gov.

Read all news