Tollway to O'Hare could cut through Flight 191 crash site

Forty years ago, when American Airlines Flight 191 crashed just beyond O'Hare Airport's boundaries, the jetliner struck earth - not the mobile home park next door, nor the oil tankers nearby, nor any of the many commercial buildings in the area.

What the DC-10 hit on May 25, 1979, was a field north of Touhy Avenue and east of Elmhurst Road.

To this day, the land remains an open field. Even as the airport and surrounding suburbs have grown, the property where 273 people died has remained as it was.

But that could change in the next few years, with plans for a highway to cut through the roughly 40 acres that now serves as a natural memorial,.

• For the complete story, visit chicago.suntimes.com.