2 planes collided in the air over Brooklyn 59 years ago in what was then the deadliest aviation crash ever - here's what happened
December 16, 1960 was "a distinctly new kind of catastrophe" when two airplanes collided over New York City, according to a 2010 report by The New York Times 50 years after the event.
The tail of one of the planes landed in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, while the other landed in Staten Island, the New York Times reported.
Part of the United Airlines jet, plus debris, took over the intersection of Seventh Avenue and Sterling Place.
At first, people were in shock and didn't know what had happened. The "United" lettering still visible on the tail was their first clue.
The New York Times reported that an entire block of buildings was set ablaze by the crash, sparked by excess fuel.
At least ten buildings were destroyed by the flames.
In all, 2,500 people were involved in containing the fire and helping the injured, including police, firemen, doctors, and nurses, The New York Times reported.
Residents were evacuated from apartments and shops.
The neighborhood where the plane crashed was heavily populated, and people looked on as police and firemen worked the rescue mission.
Police and firefighters searched for survivors of the wreck...
...but unfortunately, there were none, the New York Times reported.
Police worked on clearing the street.
The fire was put out, and bodies were cleared on the day of the crash.
Then, the neighborhood had to deal with the debris and wreckage.
Some residents said that they'd felt the whole street shaking.
A 25-foot piece of the wing had smashed through a brownstone, according to The New York Times.
An aerial view shows how eerie and out of place the scene looked.
The accident killed all 128 passengers aboard the airplanes as well as six bystanders in Brooklyn. At the time, it was the deadliest accident in aviation history, according to the AP.
Two days after the crash, authorities severed parts of the plane to remove it from the Brooklyn street.
One survivor from the scene was Brian Mulraney's cat, Jennie. He evacuated his building after the plane crashed across the street, then ran back in to save his cat.
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