TWA Flight 260

Sandia Mountain Wilderness, part of Cibola National Forest, is located east of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and comprises much of Sandia Mountains. It became part of the National Wilderness Preservation System in 1978 by an act of the United States Congress and has a total of 37,877 acres (15,328 ha).The wilderness is under the authority of the United States Forest Service. Because of its proximity to Albuquerque, it has one of the most used trail systems in the state. Most tourists access the wilderness area either by way of the Sandia Aerial Tramway or by driving by way of the Sandia Crest National Scenic Byway.

The Sandia Mountains (Southern Tiwa: Posu gai hoo-oo, Keres: Tsepe, Navajo: Dził Nááyisí; Tewa: O:ku:p’į, Northern Tiwa: Kep’íanenemą; Towa: Kiutawe, Zuni: Chibiya Yalanne) are a mountain range located in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, immediately to the east of the city of Albuquerque in New Mexico in the southwestern United States. The mountains are just due south of the southern terminus of the Rocky Mountains, and are part of the Sandia–Manzano Mountains. This is largely within the Cibola National Forest and protected as the Sandia Mountain Wilderness. The highest point is Sandia Crest, 10,678 feet (3,255 m).

The Sandia–Manzano Mountains are a substantial mountain area that defines the eastern edge of the middle Rio Grande valley of central New Mexico. They are not only an attractive backdrop to greater Albuquerque, the largest metropolitan area in New Mexico, but their elevation changes provide recreational opportunities including winter skiing and cool summer hiking or picnicing, as compared to the desert grasslands, foothills, and Rio Grande Valley below. The entire mountain chain comprises three parts, arranged north to south: the Sandia Mountains, the Manzanita Mountains, and the Manzano Mountains. The Manzanita Mountains are a series of low-lying foothills that separate the Sandias from the Manzanos. The Sandia–Manzano Mountains are often considered to be the easternmost major range in the Basin and Range Province. A substantial distance gap of much lower elevation grasslands and savanna exists between the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the Sandia Mountains, and climate conditions shift between both ranges. This distinction is further made by plant, animal, and insect species that are common in both the Sandia–Manzano Mountains and in other mountainous areas to the south, but diminish quickly in the mountains to the north. These include Quercus turbinella, Opuntia engelmannii, Aloysia wrightii, and the western diamondback rattlesnake. However, at higher elevations in the Sandia–Manzano Mountains, a strong climatically driven Rocky Mountain biotic element exists.

Sandia Crest, also known locally as Sandia Peak or simply as the Crest, is a mountain ridge that, at 10,679 feet (3,255 m), is the highpoint of the Sandia–Manzano Mountains, and is located in the Sandia Mountains of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States. Instead of a true summit or topographic peak, this range climbs to a long ridge line. To the east, the range slopes down from the Crest and merges into the plains below. On the west side of the Crest is a cliff; the range dramatically drops over 4,000 feet (1,000 metres) in elevation over 2 miles (3 kilometres) of horizontal distance to the Rio Grande Valley and city of Albuquerque below. It is within the Sandia Ranger District of the Cibola National Forest. The Crest features a viewing area with a shop and visitor center, telecommunications transmitters, the popular La Luz Trail, the Sandia Mountain Wilderness, and the summit of Sandia Peak Ski Area and the Sandia Peak Tramway, which is the longest aerial tramway in the Americas.

KKOB-FM (96.3 MHz) is a commercial radio station in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is owned by Cumulus Media and it simulcasts a news/talk radio format with co-owned KKOB 770 AM. The studios and offices are on 4th Street NW in downtown Albuquerque. KKOB-AM-FM use the FM station's dial position for the moniker "96.3 News Radio KKOB". KKOB-FM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 20,000 watts. The transmitter is on Sandia Crest, amid many FM and TV towers.

KMGA (99.5 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Albuquerque, New Mexico. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and broadcasts an adult contemporary radio format. For much of November and December it switches to Christmas music. The radio studios and offices are in Downtown Albuquerque. KMGA has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 22,500 watts. The transmitter tower is atop Sandia Crest east of the city.

KBQI (107.9 FM, "Big I 107.9") is a commercial radio station in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It carries a country music format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. It carries two syndicated shows on weekdays, The Bobby Bones Show in morning drive time and After Midnite with Granger Smith overnight. The studios are on Masthead Street in northeast Albuquerque. KBQI is a Class C station with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 22,500 watts. The transmitter tower is atop Sandia Crest east of the city. KBQI broadcasts using HD Radio technology. It airs a classic country format on its HD-2 subchannel, "The Bull," which feeds FM translator K251AU at 98.1 MHz.

KOBQ (93.3 FM) is a commercial radio station in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is owned by Cumulus Media and broadcasts a top 40/CHR radio format, branded as "93-3 The Q". Its radio studios and offices are in Downtown Albuquerque. KOBQ has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 21,500 watts. The transmitter is atop Sandia Peak.

KZRR (94.1 FM, "94 Rock") is a commercial radio station in Albuquerque, New Mexico, broadcasting to the Albuquerque-Santa Fe, New Mexico, area. KZRR airs a mainstream rock radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The radio studios and offices are in Northeast Albuquerque. KZRR has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 22,500 watts. The transmitter tower is atop Sandia Crest east of the city. It broadcasts using HD Radio technology. The HD-2 digital subchannel features an mainstream urban format, known as "Power 100.9"; that subchannel feeds 250 watt FM translator K265CA at 100.9 MHz.

KIOT (102.5 FM, "Coyote 102.5") is an American radio station licensed to Los Lunas, New Mexico, and serving the Albuquerque and Santa Fe radio markets broadcasting a classic rock format with music from the late 1960s through the early 2000s. The station is owned by American General Media. Its studios are located in Northeast Albuquerque (a mile north of Central Avenue) and the transmitter tower is located atop Sandia Crest east of the city.

KABG (98.5 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Los Alamos, New Mexico, and serving the Santa Fe and Albuquerque radio markets. It is owned by American General Media and airs a classic hits radio format, playing Top 40 hits mostly from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. The radio studios and offices are located in Northeast Albuquerque. The transmitter is on Sandia Crest at an effective radiated power (ERP) of 14,000 watts.

KQLV (90.7 FM) is an American radio station serving the Santa Fe and Albuquerque areas. It is a non-commercial station owned by Educational Media Foundation, broadcasting its K-Love satellite Christian Contemporary music format.