Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
National
Courtney Kueppers | WBEZ

50 years ago, a 737 fell from the sky and flattened homes on the Southwest Side

The tail fin of the United Airlines 737 airplane for Flight 553 remained intact after the plane crashed into homes on the Southwest Side while approaching Chicago Midway Airport on Dec. 8, 1972. (Edmund Jarecki for Chicago Sun-Times / Chicago Sun-Times collection, Chicago History Museum)

William Davidson was in a third-grade classroom awaiting dismissal from Hurley Elementary School on Dec. 8, 1972, when the ground shook and lights suddenly shut off.

“It was just like someone dropped a big, huge anvil on the ground,” recalled Davidson, who just months earlier moved to a brick home across the street from the Southwest Side school. “It just rumbled through the neighborhood almost.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.