United Air Lines Flight 553 was a scheduled domestic flight from Washington National Airport to Omaha, Nebraska, via Chicago Midway International Airport. On December 8, 1972, the Boeing 737-222 serving the flight, City of Lincoln registration N9031U, crashed while approaching Midway Airport. The probable cause of the crash was concluded to be the captain's failure to properly manage the flight. The plane crashed into a residential neighborhood, destroying five houses; there was an intense ground fire. Forty-three of the 61 aboard the aircraft and two on the ground were killed. Among the passengers killed were Illinois congressman George W. Collins, CBS News correspondent Michele Clark and Dorothy Hunt, the wife of Watergate conspirator E. Howard Hunt.
United Airlines crashes at Chicago's Midway Airport killing 45
United Air Lines Flight 553 was a scheduled domestic flight from Washington National Airport to Omaha, Nebraska, via Chicago Midway International Airport.
Historical Significance
United Air Lines Flight 553 was a scheduled domestic flight from Washington National Airport to Omaha, Nebraska, via Chicago Midway International Airport.
Events Before
Cigarette advertisements are banned from broadcast media in the US
Cigarette advertisements are banned from broadcast media in the US
1st "Quickie" Divorce granted in UK
1st "Quickie" Divorce granted in UK
Tamla Records releases Marvin Gaye's single "What's Going On" about police brutality, from the album of the same name
What's Going On is the eleventh studio album by the American soul singer Marvin Gaye. It was released on May 21, 1971, by the Motown Records subsidiary label Tamla.
Military coup in Uganda led by Major General Idi Amin
Idi Amin Dada Oumee (30 May 1928 – 16 August 2003) was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 until his overthrow in 1979.
General Idi Amin ousts Milton Obote and appoints himself President and Dictator of Uganda
Idi Amin Dada Oumee (30 May 1928 – 16 August 2003) was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 until his overthrow in 1979.
Events After
Britain, Ireland, and Denmark become the 7th, 8th, and 9th members of the European Economic Community
Denmark is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark, also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that...
Elvis Presley files for divorce from Priscilla Presley on his 38th birthday
Elvis Presley files for divorce from Priscilla Presley on his 38th birthday
Actress Jane Fonda weds activist Tom Hayden
Jane Seymour Fonda is an American actress and activist. Fonda's work spans several genres and over six decades of film and television.
In a landmark decision, the US Supreme Court legalizes most abortions (Roe v. Wade). Writing the majority opinion, Justi
In a landmark decision, the US Supreme Court legalizes most abortions (Roe v. Wade). Writing the majority opinion, Justice Harry Blackmun states that the criminalization of abortion does not have "roots in the English common law tradition."
US President Richard Nixon announces an accord has been reached to end the Vietnam War
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1974.
More from the 1970s
Erroll Garner dies
Erroll Garner dies
Chai Jing is born
Chai Jing, Chinese journalist and environmental activist, known for chinese journalist and environmental activist, was born on 1976-01-01. Chai Jing is a Chinese journalist.
Charles "Chub" Feeney becomes the President of Major League Baseball's National League
Charles Stoneham "Chub" Feeney (August 31, 1921 – January 10, 1994) was an Irish-American front office executive in Major League Baseball.
Cigarette advertisements are banned from broadcast media in the US
Cigarette advertisements are banned from broadcast media in the US
Frequently Asked Questions
- What happened on December 8, 1972?
- United Air Lines Flight 553 was a scheduled domestic flight from Washington National Airport to Omaha, Nebraska, via Chicago Midway International Airport. On December 8, 1972, the Boeing 737-222 serving the flight, City of Lincoln registration N9031U, crashed while approaching Midway Airport. The probable cause of the crash was concluded to be the captain's failure to properly manage the flight.
- Why is United Airlines crashes at Chicago's Midway Airport killing 45 significant?
- United Air Lines Flight 553 was a scheduled domestic flight from Washington National Airport to Omaha, Nebraska, via Chicago Midway International Airport.