United Air Lines Flight 553

United Air Lines Flight 553 was a scheduled service from Washington National Airport to Omaha, Nebraska, via Chicago Midway International Airport. used for the flight was a four-year-old Boeing 737-222, City of Lincoln, registration (built in 1968). The flight-deck crew consisted of Captain Wendell Lewis Whitehouse (age 44), First Officer Walter O. Coble (43), and Second Officer a highly experienced pilot with approximately to his credit, had been with the airline since 1956 and had logged more than on the Boeing 737 cockpit. First Officer Coble had more than 10,600 flight hours (including nearly 1,700 hours on the Boeing 737) under his belt and Second Officer Elder had close to 2,700 hours, with nearly 1,200 of them on the Boeing 737. ==Accident==

The accident occurred as the aircraft was on a northwesterly heading to land on runway 31L at Midway Airport. southeast of the runway, in a residential area of the city's West Lawn community, one and a half blocks west of Marquette Park. Victims The three-person flight-deck crew died, along with 40 of the 55 passengers. ==Investigation==

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was notified of the accident at 14:40 CST and immediately dispatched an investigation team to the scene. and Southern Airways accident at Huntington Tri-State, and refers which quotes in full an FAA Bulletin raising issues of training and culture. ==Conspiracy theories==

Dorothy Hunt's death led to the accident becoming caught up in rumors and conspiracy theories related to the unfolding Watergate scandal. Hunt was carrying $10,000 in $100 bills when the plane crashed, and some alleged that this money was meant for people connected to Watergate. United Air Lines officials had asked the NTSB to hear Skolnick's version because he had frequently charged that UAL was among those attempting to suppress his explanation of events. Nonetheless, the same article speculated that Colson was accusing the CIA of the broad Watergate conspiracy in a desperate attempt to stave off Nixon's impeachment in the scandal, and that Colson may have "lost touch with reality" as he faced a prison sentence. ==In popular culture==

The accident, the deaths of Clark and Hunt, and elements of the conspiracy theories were featured in the 2023 HBO miniseries White House Plumbers. == See also ==