A ceremony at the Grand Canyon today officially dedicated the National Historic Landmark for the site of a 1956 plane crash that was the start of sweeping changes in air-traffic management.
Dozens gathered at the lip of the canyon to remember the tragedy and honor the legacy of the mid-air collision between two commercial airliners, which killed 128 people and shook Americans' confidence in air travel.
Among the attendees at today's dedication were a handful of family members of those who died.
The June 30 event was, at the time, history's largest loss of life in an air-travel accident. It began a national dialogue and spurred legislation to improve safety.
Federal officials say improvements that resulted from the crash included collision avoidance systems and flight data recorders.
The site was designated a national landmark in April of this year.
AP contributed to this report.
