Disaster at 39,000 feet: how small-town america came together at a time of crisis - enfys mcmurry

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 .

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.