The 44 victims of United Flight 629 ranged in age from 13-month-old James Fitzpatrick II to 81-year-old Lela McLain. This tells of the explosion of United DC-6 flight 629 over Longmont, Colorado. Shortly before her plane took off, Graham paused while escorting his mother to the gate at Stapleton Field, pushed six quarters into a vending machine and purchased $37,500 worth of … If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Ground searchers who reached the crash site determined that all 44 people aboard the DC-6B had died instantly. (Last Privacy Policy Update July 2020), Byways & Historic Trails – Great Drives in America, Soldiers and Officers in American History. His current passion is The Daily Dose, a project with his father Tom, a documentary filmmaker and author. Engineers pinpointed the location of the explosion in cargo hold number four, determined by the size of shrapnel pieces from this section of the plane. Bodies rained from the sky into the sugar beet fields below, and hundreds of residents, police officers, and emergency workers responded to the scene to provide aid. The debris from the accident was scattered across six square miles of Weld County. On Nov. 1, 1955, United Flight 629 took off from Stapleton Airport in Denver. It was determined the pieces of metal belonged to a 6 volt battery that was used as the detonator for the explosives on the plane. [8] He was convicted of the murder of his mother and, after a few short delays, was executed in the Colorado State Penitentiary gas chamber on January 11, 1957. Feb 16, 2016 - United Airlines Flight 629, registration N37559, was a Douglas DC-6B aircraft also known as "Mainliner Denver", which was blown up with a dynamite bomb placed in the checked luggage on November 1, 1955. . [7]:39 A few passengers had purchased life insurance at the airport just before boarding. FBI agents began to investigate by doing specific assignments to the crash. Over the course of the 15-day trial, 80 witnesses would testify and 174 exhibits to prove guilt. All 39 passengers and 5 crew members on board were killed in the explosion and crash. The wreckage of United Flight 629 was carefully laid out in a Denver warehouse after its bombing. Other crashes in the United States caused by bombs include: Flight that exploded over Longmont Colorado in November 1955. Graham expressed no remorse for all the innocent lives he took and was executed in Colorado's gas chamber on 11 January 1957. One piece was red in color and bore the inscription “HO” on it. The infant was the only child on the flight. When agents identified her handbag, they found a number of newspaper clippings containing information about King's son, John Gilbert Graham, who had been arrested on a forgery charge in Denver in 1951. American Heritage Center. [2][3], Investigators determined that John "Jack" Gilbert Graham was responsible for bombing the airplane to kill his mother as revenge for his childhood and to obtain a large life insurance payout. [3], As a result of the aircraft explosion, and because there was no law against bombing an aircraft, a bill was introduced and signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on July 14, 1956, which made the intentional bombing of a commercial airline illegal. The tail of the plane was discovered on a Colorado farm. '", All 44 people aboard the aircraft were killed. Faced with the mounting evidence and discrepancies in his story, on November 13, 1955, Graham finally confessed to having placed the bomb in his mother's suitcase, telling the police: I then wrapped about three or four feet of binding cord around the sack of dynamite to hold the dynamite sticks in place around the caps. [8] At his 1956 trial, his defense was unable to counter the massive physical evidence and witnesses presented by the prosecution. En.wikipedia.org United Airlines Flight 629, registration N37559, was a Douglas DC-6B aircraft also known as "Mainliner Denver", which was blown up with a dynamite bomb placed in the checked luggage on November 1, 1955. The explosion of United Air Lines Flight 629, 64 years ago this week, was the first attack on a commercial airline in United States. "It went down behind the outbuildings, so I never saw it hit the ground," Conrad Hopp said, recalling the tragic night of Nov. 1, 1955. Graham, who held a grudge against his mother for placing him in an orphanage as a child, was the beneficiary of both her life insurance policies and her will. [2] The November 2 edition of The New York Times reported a witness to the tragedy describing what he heard: During court proceedings, Jack was notably calm and indifferent, despite a crowded and anticipatory courtroom. [3], Graham was reportedly inspired to commit the crime by hearing of a similar incident, the Albert Guay affair in Quebec in 1949. Template:Nofootnotes Template:Refimprove Template:Infobox Airliner accident United Airlines Flight 629, registration N37559, was a Douglas DC-6B aircraft, named "Mainliner Denver," which was blown up with a dynamite bomb placed in the checked luggage. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. On November 1st, 1955, a routine two-hour flight from Denver, Colorado to Portland, Oregon, would take off as usual only to mysteriously crash 11 minutes later, killing all 39 passengers and five crew members. United Airlines Flight 629 had originated at New York City's La Guardia Airport on November 1, 1955 and made a scheduled stop in Chicago before continuing to Denver's Stapleton Airfield and landed at 6:11 p.m., eleven minutes late. United Airlines Flight 629, registration N37559, was a Douglas DC-6B aircraft, named "Mainliner Denver," which was blown up with a dynamite bomb placed in the checked luggage. After signing up for a flight status notification subscription, members may choose to receive alerts advising of flight departure time, gate information, delays and cancellations. United Airlines officials organized efforts to recover the bodies of the 66 victims of the October 1955 crash. It crashed on a sugar beet farm and the Aircraft was completely destroyed. The explosion resulted in fiery debris falling from the sky onto the earth's surface below. Jack ran into legal troubles after working as a payroll clerk for a manufacturing company where he stole 42 blank checks, forged their signature, and cashed them for $100 each. [Note 2], A motion by the defense attempted to have Graham's confession thrown out on the grounds of Graham not having been made aware of his rights prior to signing it, but the motion was denied. I hollered back to my wife that she'd better call the fire department and ambulance because a plane was going to crash. At 6:52 p.m. on November 1, 1955 United Air Lines Flight 629, a DC-6B with 44 persons aboard, took off from Stapleton Airport in Denver, Colorado bound for Portland, Oregon. Thus, despite the number of victims killed on Flight 629 along with Mrs. King, Graham was charged with only one count of first degree murder. The investigation quickly turned to her Son, Jack Gilbert Graham, who had previously been charged for forgery and was on the local “most wanted” list. Your email address will not be published. The explosion occurred over Longmont, Colorado, United States at about 7:03 p.m. local time,[2] while the airplane was en route from Denver, Colorado to Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. The investigation turned from structural failure to social sabotage, tracking down and interviewing all parties who loaded cargo, worked maintenance, airline personnel, passengers, crew, and their respective networks. The ages of the victims ranged from 13 months to 81 years.[5]. At Jack’s residence, agents discovered copper wire with yellow insulation typically used in detonation devices, for which Jack had no explanation. The explosion occurred over Longmont, Colorado, while the airplane was en route from Denver, Colorado, to Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington. On November 1, 1955, a United Air Lines plane flying over southwestern Weld County exploded, killing forty-four passengers and crew. It was discovered that Mrs. King was one of 17 passengers who had insurance policies on the trip, and upon searching Mr. Graham’s residence, a second policy for $37,500 was found hidden in a cedar chest—Jack Graham was named the policy’s beneficiary. [2], Numerous telephone calls soon began coming in from farmers and other residents near Longmont who reported loud explosions and fiery debris falling from the night sky—the remains of Flight 629. United Airlines Fleet Information As of February 21, 2021, we’ve voluntarily and temporarily removed Boeing 777-200 powered by Pratt & Whitney 4090 engines from our schedule. [2] Captain Lee Hall, a World War II veteran, assumed command of the flight for the segments to Portland and Seattle. Photo by Robert J Boser. The United Airlines Flight 629 bombing was only the second airliner bombing in the United States. If you had upcoming travel scheduled on one of these aircraft, a new plane has already been swapped in. [2] The large load of fuel ignited on impact, according to fire patterns. Spectators waited for hours to get a seat, and shortly before court began, one reserved seat in the front was soon occupied by the pilot’s young wife for UA 629. Flight status, tracking, and historical data for United 627 (UA627/UAL627) including scheduled, estimated, and actual departure and arrival times. Captain Lee Hall, a World War II veteran, assumed command of the flight for the segments to Portland and Seattle. After initial investigations, the FBI consulted the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) regarding the tail … The three crew members and four passengers were killed in the crash. In 1955, United Airlines Flight 409 flying from Denver to Salt Lake City crashed into Medicine Bow Peak in Wyoming (between Laramie and Saratoga). ©Drew Page, for Legends Of America, January 2021. This tells of the explosion of United DC-6 flight 629 over Longmont, Colorado. * Flight 629 airplane disaster * Longmont, CO This 84 page newspaper has a nice six column headline on the front page: "AIR CRASH KILLS 44 NEAR DENVER" with subheads and a few related photos with more inside. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Seattle, Washington. John Gilbert Graham fought to hold down the contents of his stomach when he heard that an airliner out of Denver's Stapleton Airfield had crashed shortly after takeoff on the night of November 2, 1955. United Airlines Flight 629, registration N37559, was a Douglas DC-6B aircraft also known as "Mainliner Denver", which was blown up with a dynamite bomb placed in the checked luggage on November 1, 1955. In fact, these were the only items that could be connected with Mrs. King; only small pieces of her believed suitcase were ever recovered from cargo. The explosion had been so intense that investigators thought it unlikely to have been caused by any aircraft system or component. Although justice prevailed, the deaths of Graham’s innocent victims will never be justified. Suspicions that a bomb had been placed in luggage loaded aboard the aircraft were fueled by the discovery of four pieces of an unusual grade of sheet metal, each covered in a gray soot. On November 1st, 1955, a routine two-hour flight from Denver, Colorado to Portland, Oregon, would take off as usual only to mysteriously crash 11 minutes later, killing all 39 passengers and five crew members. In the earlier stages of the investigation, the investigators discovered at the time of the crash, United Airlines management was locked in a dispute with a local airline union, leading to the theory that the bombing of Flight 629 was a attempt to damage the United Airline's reputation; this theory was later excluded from the investigation. It wasn't very long into the crash investigation … The wreckage would be recovered with the tail section damaged only by impact, but an obvious explosion severely damaged the fuselage. At Denver the aircraft was refueled with 3,400 US gallons (13,000 L) of fuel, and had a crew replacement. The agents also uncovered the hidden insurance policy naming Jack, the sole beneficiary. [3][4] Within fifteen months of the explosion, Graham—who already had an extensive criminal record—was tried, convicted, and executed for the crime.[3]. The plane was in perfect condition and had successfully gone on two flights earlier in the day. In 2001, a privately funded plaque memorializing the victims of the 1955 crash of United Airlines Flight 409 was erected at the Miner’s Camp turnout on Wyoming Highway 130 between Centennial and Saratoga, just west of Snowy Range Pass.The inscription on the plaque reads, “In memory of the 66 passengers and crew that perished on Medicine Bow Peak October 6, 1955.” [citation needed]. Continental Airlines Flight 11, registration N70775, was a Boeing 707 aircraft which exploded in the vicinity of Centerville, Iowa, while en route from O'Hare Airport, Chicago, Illinois, to Kansas City, Missouri, on May 22, 1962.The aircraft crashed in a clover field near Unionville, in Putnam County, Missouri, killing all 45 crew and passengers on board. Required fields are marked *. [2] The fires were so intense that despite efforts to extinguish them they continued to burn for three days. The explosion occurred over Longmont, Colorado, while the airplane was en route from Denver, Colorado, to Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, … United Airlines Crashes Los Angeles Attorneys Representing United Airlines Passengers. The flight took off at 6:52 p.m. and at 6:56 p.m. made its last transmission, stating it was passing the Denver omni. [2] At Denver the aircraft was refueled with 3,400 US gallons (13,000 L) of fuel, and had a crew replacement. Feb 16, 2016 - United Airlines Flight 629, registration N37559, was a Douglas DC-6B aircraft also known as "Mainliner Denver", which was blown up with a dynamite bomb placed in the checked luggage on November 1, 1955. . They also found an additional $37,500 ($357,900 today) in life insurance policies; however, Mrs. King had not signed either these policies or those purchased at the airport, rendering them worthless. On November 1, 1955, approximately 11 minutes after United Airlines Flight 629 left from Denver, Colorado, the aircraft suddenly burst into flames. Using some of his $4,200 haul, Jack purchased a car and left Denver. Having served in — and been honorably discharged from — the National Guard (despite a 63-day AWOL period), Jack Graham enrolled at Denver University. It was determined the pieces of metal belonged to a 6 volt battery that was used as the detonator for the explosives on the plane. "Conrad Hopp, a farmer who lives near the crash scene, said he and members of his family 'heard a big explosion — it sounded like a big bomb went off and I ran out and I saw a big fire right over the cattle corral. The explosion resulted in fiery debris falling from the sky onto the earth's surface below. Authorities were shocked to discover that there was no federal statute on the books at the time (1955) that made it a crime to blow up aircraft. Denver, CO, November 1, 1955. United Airlines Flight 629, a DC-6B bound for Portland and Seattle, exploded in flames only 11 minutes after taking off from Denver. "It went down behind the outbuildings, so I never saw it hit the ground," Conrad Hopp said, recalling the tragic night of Nov. 1, 1955. However, his wife, Gloria, revealed that Graham had wrapped a "present" for his mother on the morning of the day of Mrs. King's ill-fated flight.[3]. A Byte Out of History - United Air Lines Flight 629 ... On November 1, 1955, United Air Lines Flight 629 crashed on a sugar beet farm some 35 miles north of its takeoff from Denver. Legends, Ghosts, Myths and Mysteries Main Page. Our cookies are delicious. Directed by Jeremiah Crowell. One piece was red in color and bore the inscription “HO” on it. On January 11, 1957, Jack Graham was put to death in a gas chamber, bringing the tragic flight of United Airlines flight 629 to a cold and dark end. With Dawn Collet, Diana Craig, Mallory Sparks, Matthew Hardy. [3] It was the first trial in Colorado to be televised, and it was covered by KLZ[Note 1] and KBTV. See more ideas about united airlines, airline flights, checked luggage. Photo courtesy FBI, November 2, 1955. Jack was made aware that he was officially an active suspect in the crime, and he agreed to submit to polygraph testing as well as search and seizure of his property. The plane came down in a beet field in Weld County, Colorado, just east of Longmont, which lies in Boulder County. Investigations turned up fruitless. United Airlines Flight 629 had originated at New York City's La Guardia Airport on November 1, 1955 and made a scheduled stop in Chicago before continuing to Denver's Stapleton Airfield and landed at 6:11 p.m., eleven minutes late. On November 7th, the CAB’s chief of investigations officially declared the crash was not an accident caused by structural or engineering malfunction and requested the FBI conduct a criminal investigation. About the Author: Drew is a writer, content creator, and voracious learner out of Walnut Creek, CA. [3], Flight 629 was the second known case of an airliner being destroyed by a bomb over the mainland U.S. Photo by Robert J Boser. Then I turned around and it blew up in the air. No suspect was ever brought to trial in the case.[9]. The jury would deliberate for a little more than an hour before finding Jack Graham guilty and recommending the death penalty. The plane came down in a beet field in Weld County, Colorado, just east of Longmont, which lies in Boulder County. The bomb consisted of 25 sticks of dynamite, a timer, a six-volt battery, and two electric primer caps. United still uses the flight number 629 today on its Washington (National) – Chicago (O'Hare) route. [3] Therefore, on the day after Graham's confession, the district attorney moved swiftly to prosecute Graham via the simplest possible route: premeditated murder committed against a single victim—his mother, Mrs. King. Hopp, now 68, was an eyewitness when United Airlines Flight 629, en route from Denver to Portland, exploded and crashed onto the sugar beet fields of … It was determined that these effects were within her carry-on and not checked luggage. Passenger Daisie E. King’s personal effects included traveler’s checks, two keys and a receipt for a safety deposit box, and newspaper clippings regarding her son’s legal troubles, raising moderate suspicions. Bodies rained from the sky into the sugar beet fields below, and hundreds of residents, police officers, and emergency workers responded to the scene to provide aid. Actor Nick Adams portrays Jack Graham. The bombing is also the subject of "Time Bomb", the fourth episode of season one of Investigation Discovery's series A Crime to Remember, which first aired December 3, 2013. * Flight 629 airplane disaster * Longmont, CO This 84 page newspaper has a nice six column headline on the front page: "AIR CRASH KILLS 44 NEAR DENVER" with subheads and a few related photos with more inside. It was said the the explosion occured in station 718. Eyewitnesses in the area consistently mentioned a fiery explosion in the air with flares streaming down and a second explosion on impact. Your email address will not be published. All forty-four passengers died, and the wreckage on the plane was carefully laid in a warehouse in Denver, Colorado. At 6:52 p.m. on November 1, 1955 United Air Lines Flight 629, a DC-6B with 44 persons aboard, took off from Stapleton Airport in Denver, Colorado bound for Portland, Oregon. At Denver there was a crew change, and the captain who assumed command of the flight for the segments to Portland and Seattle, Lee Hall, was a World War II veteran.The flight took off at 6:52 p.m. Mountain time. Graham expressed no remorse for all the innocent lives he took and was executed in Colorado's gas chamber on 11 January 1957.
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