In May 1962, a plane fell from the sky over the heartland of America, disrupting the peace of the little towns of Centerville, Iowa, and Unionville, Missouri, and shaking the confidence of airline passengers nationwide. The story was shocking, puzzling, frightening .

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and in following years, was almost completely forgotten by the world at large. Enfys McMurry has spent countless hours poring through accident investigation reports of the Federal Aviation Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, reviewing newspaper accounts, and interviewing those who were there, those who still live in Iowa and Missouri and have memories of the horrific events that brought these communities together at a time of crisis.

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. my uncle, Captain Fred Gray, was a cheerful character and a most highly respected aviator.

At the time of the event, he was looking forward to the upcoming birth of his daughter. One tragic story of many on Flight 11.

"Ms. McMurry’s extensively researched, minute by minute account of the final moments of Continental Airlines Flight 11 is both riveting and somber.

The tragic event of May 22, 1962, is the story of an unwitting aviation industry, of a deranged man, and of a rural community unselfishly coming to the aid of strangers. But most of all, it is a story of families forever shattered and the precious lives lost that dark and stormy night.

" —Captain Craig G. Gray (retired), nephew of Captain Fred R.

Gray, Pilot in Command of Flight 11 "The downing of Continental Airlines Flight 11 on May 22, 1962, shook the innocence of the flying public . .

. Author Enfys McMurry allows you to practically smell the jet fuel, feel the pitch dark of a rural Missouri road, and the terror that swallowed people up the night that Flight 11 fell from the sky .

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she keeps you on the edge of your seat for what is a fascinating and often overlooked piece of American history. "May we never forget Continental Airlines Flight 11 and the passengers and crew who lost their lives that night above rural America.

" —Andrew Russell, aviation writer, author of The Missouri Crash. .