May 22, 1962: The flight that changed aviation security forever
Today in True Crime by Case Bound
Source-backed daily true-crime history.
Non-graphic · Sensitive events discussed without explicit detail.
May 22, 1962: The flight that changed aviation security forever
At 8:35 p.m. on May 22, 1962, Continental Airlines Flight 11 — a Boeing 707 registered N70775 — departed O'Hare International Airport in Chicago for Kansas City, Missouri, carrying 37 passengers and 8 crew.
At approximately 9:17 p.m., an explosion ripped through the right rear lavatory. The blast severed the aircraft's tail section, sending the rear fuselage and engines detaching from the main body. The aircraft pitched nose-down in uncontrolled gyrations and struck an alfalfa field near Unionville, Putnam County, Missouri, at approximately 9:22 p.m. All 45 people aboard were killed — 44 dead at the scene, one who survived briefly died of internal injuries at Saint Joseph Mercy Hospital in Centerville, Iowa, about ninety minutes later.
The perpetrator was Thomas G. Doty, a 34-year-old Kansas City man who had purchased more than $300,000 in life insurance — including policies bought at the airport just before boarding — to provide for his wife and five-year-old daughter. He brought six sticks of dynamite aboard in his briefcase, entered the lavatory, and ignited the device. The scheme was intended to appear as a genuine accident, with his family collecting the insurance payout.
The crash was the first confirmed commercial aviation suicide bombing in U.S. history. The FBI investigation identified Doty as the bomber within days based on insurance records, passenger manifests, and the pattern of the explosion in the rear lavatory. The case reshaped commercial aviation security protocols around insurance verification and passenger screening.
Captain Fred R. Gray, 50, was among the victims. The memorial installed in Unionville, Missouri in 2010 bears the inscription: "This Continental Flight 11 tragedy occurred in Putnam County on May 22, 1962, and changed America's air travel forever."
Also on this day
-
Manchester Arena Bombing — 22 Killed at Ariana Grande Concert (May 22, 2017) · WikipediaSalman Abedi detonated a homemade device in the foyer of the Manchester Arena in England as concertgoers departed an Ariana Grande show, killing 22 people and injuring approximately 800 others. Abedi was killed in the blast. His brother Hashem Abedi was later convicted of murder and sentenced to life with a minimum of 55 years.
-
Lee Rigby Murder — British Soldier Killed in Woolwich (May 22, 2013) · WikipediaFusilier Lee Rigby, a 25-year-old British Army soldier, was murdered by Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale in Woolwich, southeast London. The attackers drove a car into Rigby before attacking him with machetes and a cleaver in broad daylight on a busy street. Adebolajo was convicted of murder and given a whole-life order with no possibility of parole; Adebowale was convicted of murder and sentenced to life with a minimum term of 45 years.
-
Hashimpura Massacre — 42 Indian Police Victims Killed (May 22, 1987) · WikipediaDuring communal riots in Hashimpura, Uttar Pradesh, India, the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) shot and killed 42 people — mostly Muslims — and dumped their bodies in irrigation canals. The victims were among hundreds arrested during the unrest. After decades of legal proceedings, a trial court acquitted all 16 accused PAC personnel in 2015; that acquittal was overturned by the Delhi High Court in October 2018, which convicted 16 PAC personnel of murder and sentenced them to life imprisonment.
-
Joplin, Missouri EF5 Tornado — 158 Killed (May 22, 2011) · WikipediaAn EF5 tornado struck Joplin, Missouri on the evening of May 22, 2011, destroying or damaging 8,000 buildings and killing 158 people. The tornado struck just minutes after a high school graduation ceremony at Joplin High School. Seven Joplin High School students were among the victims.
-
Bobby Frank Cherry Convicted — 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing (May 22, 2002) · WikipediaA Birmingham, Alabama jury convicted former Klansman Bobby Frank Cherry of first-degree murder for the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church that killed four African-American girls. Cherry was sentenced to life imprisonment and died in prison in 2004.
-
Caning of Senator Charles Sumner — Preston Brooks Attacks Abolitionist in U.S. Senate (May 22, 1856) · WikipediaRepresentative Preston Brooks of South Carolina beat Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts nearly to death with a cane on the U.S. Senate floor, striking him repeatedly until the cane broke. Sumner was unable to return to the Senate for more than three years.
Sources used/checked for this issue
- Continental Airlines Flight 11, Wikipedia — "Continental Airlines Flight 11," Wikipedia, accessed 2026-05-22.
- Continental Airlines Flight 11 crash, HISTORY.com — "Continental Airlines Flight 11 crash," HISTORY.com, accessed 2026-05-22.
- Service Marks 50 Year Anniversary of Continental Airlines Flight 11 Crash, KOMU 8 — "50 Year Anniversary of Flight 11," KOMU, accessed 2026-05-22.
Today in True Crime by Case Bound — 2026-05-22
