However , control of American airspace continued to be split between the military and the Civil Aeronautics Administration ( CAA , the federal agency in charge of air traffic control at the time ) . The CAA had no authority over military flights , which could enter controlled airspace with no warning to other traffic . The result was a series of near-misses and collisions involving civil and military aircraft , the latter often flying at much higher speeds than the former . For example , in 1958 , the collision of United Airlines Flight 736 flying " on-airways " and an F-100 Super Sabre fighter jet near Las Vegas , Nevada resulted in 49 fatalities
United Airlines Flight 736
United Airlines Flight 736
1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision