Hunt 's wife , Dorothy , was killed in the December 8 , 1972 plane crash of United Airlines Flight 553 in Chicago . Congress , the Federal Bureau of Investigation ( FBI ) , and the National Transportation Safety Board ( NTSB ) investigated the crash , and found it to be an accident caused by crew error . Over $ 10,000 in cash was found in Dorothy Hunt 's handbag in the wreckage
Flight 553
United Airlines Flight 553
E. Howard Hunt