Letters from 1946 Plane Crash Surface in Wyoming
Postal history enthusiasts are cataloging mail recovered from the wreckage of United Air Lines Flight 14, which struck Elk Mountain during a night flight in January 1946.
By Alyssa Parker ·
Letters recovered from a 1946 aircraft crash in Wyoming have been identified as rare items of postal history. The documents originated from United Air Lines Flight 14, a night service operating between Portland and Denver.
The twin-engine airliner departed on January 30, 1946. The crew was scheduled to cruise at 13,000 feet but flew just over 11,000 feet while off course. Heavy cloud cover obscured the path as the plane struck Elk Mountain. The aircraft skidded across the summit, scattering wreckage to the ground below.
Winter weather delayed initial attempts to reach the site. The Civil Aeronautics Board later documented the incident in a report available online. The recovered mail is classified as a crash cover, a term used for letters found in transportation accidents such as plane, train, or ship disasters.
Specialized organizations study these items, including the American Air Mail Society and the Wreck & Crash Mail Society. Collectors and historians catalog the envelopes to preserve the record of interrupted services. The field includes artifacts from other major incidents, such as the 1937 Hindenburg disaster.
The letters from the Cheyenne-area crash site are now part of this specialized collection. They serve as physical evidence of the flight's final moments. No new details regarding the crew or passengers were released with the recent discovery.
Source: KTWO · original report published
