United Airlines Chesterton Crash /

On October 10, 1933, a Boeing 247 propliner operated by United Air Lines and registered as NC13304, crashed near Chesterton, Indiana. The transcontinental flight, carrying three crew and four passengers, had originated in Newark, New Jersey, with its final destination in Oakland, California. It had already landed in Cleveland and was headed to its next stop in Chicago, but exploded en route. All aboard died in the crash, which was proven to have been deliberately caused by an on-board explosive device. Eyewitnesses on the ground reported hearing an explosion shortly after 9 p.m., and told of seeing the plane in flames at an altitude of about 1,000 feet. A second explosion followed after the plane crashed. The crash scene was adjacent to a gravel road about five miles outside of Chesterton, centered in a wooded area on the Jackson Township farm of James Smiley. Investigators who combed through the debris were confronted with unusual evidence: The toilet and baggage compartment had been smashed into fragments. Shards of metal riddled the inside of the toilet door while the other side was free of the metal fragments. The tail section had been severed just aft of the toilet and was