Investigators were puzzled when they were tasked with figuring out what caused this seemingly safe plane to burst into flames. They never expected that the answer to all of their questions would be tucked inside a woman's purse...
A Normal Flight
Everything was supposed to be business as usual. On November 1, 1955, the plane was set for the skies. United Airlines Flight 629 was set to take off from New York City’s LaGuardia Airport, stop for a brief layover in a Chicago airport, and then make its way to Denver’s Stapleton International Airport. At 6:11 PM, the crew boarded the plane and readied themselves for a journey that would become the flight of a lifetime...
So Far, So Good
Nothing seemed to be anything out of the ordinary. The plane took off as usual, and just about four minutes into the departure, the captain radioed into the air traffic control to confirm that things were going as planned. Unfortunately, the captain, crew, and ground workers were all about to witness a terrible surprise...
Bright Flashes
At 7:03 PM, bright flashes of light were spotted in the sky. After waiting a few moments, onlookers realized that those lights were crashing and falling to the earth below. Those responsible for keeping Flight 629 safe were bewildered. What could possibly be going on? Their worst fears were confirmed when the plane fell to the ground. Responders went to check for survivors, but where was the plane?
Metal Rains
It wouldn't take long to find the aircraft. Longmont, a town only 30 miles from the Stapleton International Airport, flooded local stations with reports of the crash. Many claimed that after the explosion they felt metal debris rain down on them. It was revealed that the plane skipped cross-inspection, and now that mistake was spread over six square miles of county. Things only worsened from there...
No Survivors
Though they hoped for the best, authorities knew that the odds were not in their favor. When they arrived at the scene, they quickly discovered that their worst suspicions were correct. The flight’s 39 passengers and five onboard crew members were all killed instantly in the explosion. The oldest passenger was 81, the youngest was only 13 months. Still, what had happened on this fated flight?
Gathering Evidence
First and foremost, they needed to gather the evidence. There was one overwhelming link between all the collected items: a specific and obvious odor. Calling in some experts, authorities realized this was an odor often made with explosive materials. The Civil Aeronautics Board, helping with the investigation, realized that this was something far more sinister than they had expected...
A Terrible Truth
The plane lacked any defects, meaning that this was no accident. It appeared to be a deliberately planned attack. Experts said that somehow, an individual had brought an explosive on board, but they didn't know the motivation. They knew that no person would take 44 lives for no reason; there had to be an explanation. They would soon find answers in the strangest of places...
Chemical Clues
After some digging, researchers found four shards of sheet metal contained trace amounts of certain chemicals used in dynamite. This meant the FBI would have to get involved. Some very unlikely individuals would prove to be a big help in their search. Every passenger would have their files examined. One discovery changed the case...
Questioning the Dead
Obviously, the passengers were the first suspects, as someone on that plane was likely the person who blew it up. They searched for someone with a previous record, someone with a past twisted enough to indicate that they were capable of such egregious wrongdoing. They focused on people who were from Colorado, as a stranger to the state likely wouldn't be the culprit...
Colorado Locals
The FBI focused in on people native to Colorado. Several had taken out life insurance policies, which was usually an indicator of something dark. For the investigative team, these people stood out more than others. One woman, a passenger from the flight, caught the FBI team's attention. They had no idea how impactful her story would eventually be...
Meet Daisie King
Daisie King lived a simple life and hardly raised any eyebrows in her day-to-day life. The 53-year-old Denver resident seemed like one of the least likely individuals to destroy a plane full of innocent souls. A widow, mother, and business owner, Daisie was nothing more than a kind, middle-aged lady. However, one weird piece of evidence survived the explosion and it pointed right to this sweet woman...
Enter John Gilbert Graham
Investigators found that Daisie's luggage was mostly torn to bits, but inside was fairly protected. In her handbag, they discovered clippings of a newspaper highlighting the crimes of small-town criminal John Gilbert Graham. They were perplexed by this. Why did Daisie King care about this petty crime? As they dug deeper, they realized things hit a little closer to home than they thought...
John's Upbringing
John wasn't just any criminal—he was Daisie's son! Daisie gave birth to John in 1932. Sadly, Daisie knew that she wasn't able to provide for her son after his father unexpectedly passed away. As a woman in the 1930s, she had limited means of income. Without a way to pay for the new member of the family, Daisie put the child up for adoption in a local orphanage...
Daisie Continues Living
Though she was heartbroken to give up her son, Daisie did not put her life on hold. She married what would become her third husband, and she was swept away by the new lifestyle. He was smart, stable, and employed. When Daisie's third husband also passed away, she was left with a large sum of cash, which she used to open the Crown-A Drive-In Diner. Would the mother and son ever meet again?
Reunited Families
At long last, the two finally met again. John, now 22, was tracked down by Daisie. She was heartbroken by his criminal record and wanted to make up for the years she had lost with her only son. His crimes were all related to money—things like embezzlement, forgery, and bootlegging. To make up for her disappearance, Daisie did something she would later come to regret...
Life Insurance Policy
Daisie, now rich in Colorado, made John the beneficiary of her life insurance policy. More FBI digging uncovered that the restaurant she owned recently had a sudden explosion. John and Daisie received some big insurance payoffs from the blow. After discovering this, John became the prime suspect for the case. Everything was just making too much sense...
An Easy Find
John never knew that his mother kept all of his newspaper clippings in her purse, so in the days after the explosion, he felt that he had no need to worry. After all, how else would he be linked to the crime? Well, when the FBI showed up at John's door, he was singing a different tune. The police discovered several insurance policies in his possession, and a big piece of evidence in his garage...
Explosive Devices
In John's garage the police discovered all the tools he would need to make a bomb. Although he had an air-tight alibi, authorities doubted that sweet Daisie King would blow up a plane. Witnesses would later claim that John and his mother did not have the ideal relationship that John told investigators about. They fought often and loudly, so John's alibi did not hold up...
Liar, Liar
John swore that his mother was the one to pack her luggage, but the truth slowly started spilling out. His wife accidentally broke and revealed that John was the one who packed the bags. This meant that if there was an explosive on board, it was likely to have been John's doing. His time was finally up, and the FBI knew that they had the killer right where they wanted him...
Locked Away
At long last, John confessed to his evil deeds. He had put the dynamite in his mother's purse as a way to get her riches for himself. As a result, he was sentenced to receive the death penalty. Before his execution, John was quoted as having said: "As far as feeling remorse for these people, I don’t. I can’t help it. Everybody pays their way and takes their chances. That’s just the way it goes."
Pan Am Flight 73
That's not the only story of a plane ride gone wrong. The survivors of Pan Am Flight 73 were expecting a normal trip from India to New York. During a layover at 4:30 AM, things went awry. Onboard the aircraft, there were 394 passengers and 9 infant babies, as well as an American flight crew and 13 Indian flight attendants. Exactly 109 people got off at this layover, but a group of people boarded that would soon make this flight a living nightmare...
Hijackers On Board
A duo of hijackers came on board the flight undetected, due to their faux sky-blue uniforms like that of the Pakistan Airport Security Force. Approaching with sirens and flashing lights, they ran up the ramp and fired warning shots into the sky. More hijackers then boarded with the first two men, one of them carrying a briefcase full of explosives. The flight attendant was then held at gunpoint to close the doors...
Hijackers Take Hold
It wasn't long after they seized control of the aircraft that the head hijacker realized the pilot crew was missing. He ordered the first-class passengers to the back of the plane and those in the back to the front of the plane. The passengers were forced to sit down in the aisles, galleys, and door exits as they awaited their fate. Next, he asked everyone to take out their passports...
Passport Collection
Two flight attendants were ordered to collect all the passports of the people on board. These attendants, believing that the hijackers were planning to target the American passengers, hid the US passports in their uniforms, threw them in chutes, and hid the documents throughout the plane. Hopefully, some would be able to survive the nightmare...
Michael Thexton
One man, Michael Thexton, was brought to the front of the plane. The UK citizen knelt before his captors. They gave him water and said that they did not want to hurt him. They complained about the Americans and Israeli people asked Thexton a few more questions about his life and career before finally ordering him back to his seat. The hostages were held into the night...
The Detonation
The hijackers had planted a bomb on a belt that, when shot, would kill everyone inside instantly. However, due to the darkness of the night, the hijacker missed, causing only a small fire. This, however, set the plane into chaos. The hijackers shot into the group of passengers. Again, the darkness proved too difficult to manage and the group missed their hostages...
Hero Neerja Bhanot
One woman, Neerja Bhanot, perished in the gunfire. She was shot in the back while she protected a group of three young children from the bullets. The head flight attendant was posthumously given the Ashok Chakra Award, which is India's highest peacetime award for bravery. She was also responsible for alerting the pilot crew to escape in the beginning.
The Great Escape
During the excitement of the shooting, one passenger, Dick Melhart, was able to unlatch one of the doors. The slide did not deploy, but this didn't stop several passengers from jumping down, about 20 feet to land. Another passenger at the front of the plane opened a door that did deploy the slide, and those who used this method were able to escape without injury.
Getting Onboard
Eventually, the 17-hour long hijacking finally finished. After opening fire on the passengers at 21:30 Pakistan Standard Time, the criminals quickly ran out of ammunition, and very few passengers were injured by the bullets. This allowed them to flee the aircraft through the emergency exits. It wasn't long after this initial escape that authorities stormed the aircraft and seized the hijackers.
The Aftermath
Of the 381 passengers, 43 were injured or killed aboard the flight, including Neerja. Five hijackers were collected from the aircraft and sentenced to life in prison. The head hijackers admitted to being a member of the terrorist group Abu Nidal Organization. Neerja's memory lives on in two awards set up by her family that are given to outstanding Indian women and heroic flight attendants annually.