What happened
On the night of May 22, 1962, a Boeing 707-124, registered as N70775, was operating as Continental Air Lines Flight 11. The aircraft was traveling from Chicago's O’Hare Airport toward Kansas City, Missouri, while flying along Jet Route 26V at an altitude of 39,000 feet.
While navigating near Centerville, Iowa, the flight crew performed a northerly deviation from their planned path to avoid an active thunderstorm. Shortly after this maneuver, radar monitoring services in Waverly, Iowa, lost contact with the aircraft. At roughly 21:17, an explosion took place within the right rear lavatory area. This event caused the tail section to separate from the main fuselage.
The resulting structural failure led to the breakup of the aircraft. The primary portion of the fuselage crashed into the ground approximately 6 miles north-northwest of Unionville, Missouri. The impact resulted in 45 fatalities, accounting for all 37 passengers and 8 crew members on board. The airframe was completely destroyed.
Findings
Investigations concluded that the destruction of the aircraft was caused by the disintegrating force of a dynamite explosion located in the right rear lavatory.