In clear and calm weather in Colorado at 1:14 p.m. MDT on Friday, October 2, 1970, a chartered Martin 4-0-4 airliner crashed into a mountain eight miles (13 km) west of Silver Plume.

[1][2][3][4] Operated by Golden Eagle Aviation Inc., the twin-engine propliner carried 37 passengers and a crew of three, of whom 29 were killed at the scene and two later died of their injuries while under medical care.

[7][page needed] About three months before the crash, Wichita State University contracted with Golden Eagle Aviation to supply a Douglas DC-6B to fly the team to away games for the 1970 season.

[6] "Gold", the aircraft that later crashed, carried the starting players, head coach and athletic director, as well as their wives, other administrators, boosters and family.

[7]: 35  The other crew flying the "Black" aircraft adhered to the original flight plan and took a more northerly route, heading north from Denver to southern Wyoming then west, using a designated airway.

[4][7][page needed] While the aircraft was refueled and serviced in Denver, Skipper purchased aeronautical sectional charts for the planned scenic route.

[8] In his testimony before the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Skipper asserted that he had intended to use the charts to identify landmarks and objects of interest to the passengers.

The NTSB's report concluded that the crew did not allow enough time for the charts to be studied properly to avoid high terrain before takeoff commenced.

"[10] The overloaded aircraft,[11][12] nearing Loveland Pass as it flew up Clear Creek Valley, became trapped in a box canyon and was unable to climb above the mountain ridges surrounding it on three sides, nor could it complete a reversal turn away from the sharply rising terrain.

Significant factors were the overloaded condition of the aircraft, the virtual absence of flight planning for the chosen route of flight from Denver to Logan, a lack of understanding on the part of the crew of the performance capabilities and limitations of the aircraft, and the lack of operational management to monitor and appropriately control the actions of the flightcrew.The Wichita State University president, vice president, provost, athletic director and athletic information officer were all unavailable in the immediate aftermath of the crash, leaving the game to be canceled by John S. Flannery, a WSU Information Services employee.

[5] A roadside memorial plaque listing the names of the victims is located near the Colorado crash site, adjacent to westbound Interstate 70, at Dry Gulch at milepost 217 (39°41′47″N 105°52′25″W / 39.6965°N 105.8736°W / 39.6965; -105.8736), about two miles (3 km) east of the Eisenhower Tunnel.