Jack Gilbert Graham
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John "Jack" Gilbert Graham (January 23, 1932 - January 11, 1957) was a mass murderer who killed 44 people by planting a dynamite bomb on board United Airlines flight 629.
Flight 629 was using a Douglas DC-6B and was taking off from Denver, Colorado's Stapleton Airport, bound for Portland, Oregon on November 1, 1955. Its pilot was Lee Hall, a World War II veteran. There were no survivors of the subsequent explosion.
Jack's mother was on board the plane - the motive for the bombing was to claim $37,500 worth of life insurance money, from policies bought in the airport just before take-off. Flight insurance was bought in vending machines at airports back in the 1950's.
Jack Gilbert Graham was executed by gassing in the Colorado State Penitentiary gas chamber on January 11, 1957.
The Jack Gilbert Graham case may have been the inspiration for the book Airport by Arthur Hailey and the 1970 movie Airport based upon it.