Qualla: United Air Lines Flight 615

United Air Lines Flight 615: Introduction

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Robert J. Boser EditorASC, CC BY-SA 3.0. At 4:25 a.m. on August 24, 1951, United Air Lines Flight 615 received clearance for a straight-in approach to Oakland Airport. It was the last radio transmission anyone would hear from the Douglas DC-6. Minutes later, the aircraft careened into Tolman Peak, 15 miles southeast of the airport, scattered across the downslope, and exploded into Dry Gulch Canyon below. All 44 passengers and 6 crew members died.

Image: Robert J. Boser EditorASC | CC BY-SA 3.0

United Air Lines Flight 615: A Transcontinental Route

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Robert J. Boser EditorASC, CC BY-SA 3.0. Flight 615 was a transcontinental east-west service connecting Boston, Hartford, Cleveland, Chicago, Oakland, and San Francisco. The aircraft had departed Chicago at 10:59 p.m. Central time for the overnight leg to Oakland. At around 4:16 a.m. Pacific time, pilot Marion W. Hedden...

Image: Robert J. Boser EditorASC | CC BY-SA 3.0

United Air Lines Flight 615: Three Miles Off Course

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Robert J. Boser EditorASC, CC BY-SA 3.0. The Civil Aeronautics Board investigation revealed that the crash was caused by the pilot's decision to abandon prescribed instrument landing procedures. Instead of following the established approach path, Hedden relied on visual reference and used the copilot's automatic directi...

Image: Robert J. Boser EditorASC | CC BY-SA 3.0

United Air Lines Flight 615: The Mountains Remember

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Robert J. Boser EditorASC, CC BY-SA 3.0. The crash site on Tolman Peak, in the hills between Oakland and Union City, remains accessible to hikers who know where to look. Fragments of the aircraft are still scattered across the remote canyon, slowly being absorbed by the chaparral and live oaks of the East Bay hills. The...

Image: Robert J. Boser EditorASC | CC BY-SA 3.0