In 1931, a deadly air crash in Kansas inspired safer flights. Why have some forgotten that lesson?

By: Max McCoy

Outlets: Kansas Reflector

Published: March 1, 2026

Words: 2,019

Last Updated: 1 week, 3 days ago

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The sky was nearly touching the ground.

As I drove across Interstate 35 in the Flint Hills recently and watched the low clouds cast galleon-like shadows on the dry grass and rocks below, I thought of a plane crash that happened here 95 years ago this month. The reaction to that tragedy, in the early days of commercial aviation, set the tone for a century of accountability and transparency in air safety that followed.

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