Ceremony to remember Piatt plane crash set for Thursday

A ceremony to remember those who died in a plane crash near 20th Street and Piatt in 1965 will be held Thursday.

The event will begin at 1 p.m. at Piatt Memorial Park. The public is welcome to attend.

On Jan. 16, 1965, a refueling tanker from McConnell Air Force Base crashed into the neighborhood, killing seven crewmen and 23 residents.

State Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau will honor those affected by the crash by sponsoring a resolution on the Senate floor on Thursday, the 49th anniversary of the accident.

“This tragedy has been recognized by the Kansas Historical Society as the worst non-natural disaster occurring in Kansas history,” Faust-Goudeau said in a statement Wednesday.

Faust-Goudeau was part of the effort to establish a memorial of the crash in 2004. Piatt Memorial Park was unveiled in 2007.

For more information about the public gathering, contact Victor Daniels at 316-683-9719; Carla Lee at 316-213-7865; or Faust-Goudeau at 316-210-4380.

This story was originally published January 15, 2014 at 10:25 AM with the headline "Ceremony to remember Piatt plane crash set for Thursday."