[1]: 2  The area was overcast at the time: a pilot landing on that runway immediately after the accident later reported that the airport was only visible below 500–600 feet (150–180 m) AGL.

[12] The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was notified of the accident at 14:40 CST and immediately dispatched an investigation team to the scene.

[a][b] The flight data recorder (FDR) on board the aircraft was not functioning at the time of the accident due to a mechanical failure.

[1]: 8  Fortunately, the ARTS-III (Automated Terminal Radar Services) system at nearby O'Hare International Airport was in operation at the time of the accident, and saved recorded transponder data on magnetic tape.

[1]: 14–15  The tapes were analyzed extensively and compared to Boeing flight profile data to develop the course, speed, rate of descent, and altitudes of the plane as it made its approach to Chicago Midway.

[1]: 15 The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) was working normally and the tape in that "black box" was relatively undamaged,[1]: 8  which enabled the NTSB to sequence it in time with the readings of ARTS-III.

[1]: 32 The Analysis section of the Report concludes with a paragraph to "emphasize"[1]: 31 that the accident sequence resulted from that failure, and "reiterate[d][1]: 33 its often-expressed concern about the apparent lack of crew coordination and cockpit discipline during nonprecision approaches".

It went on to make comparison with the recent Eastern Air Lines hard landing at Fort Lauderdale[15] and Southern Airways accident at Huntington Tri-State, and refers[1]: 33 the reader to the Report on the Southern Airways accident[16] which quotes in full an FAA Bulletin raising issues of training and culture.

Dorothy Hunt's death led to the accident becoming caught up in rumors and conspiracy theories related to the unfolding Watergate scandal.

[13][14] Skeptics of the official narrative speculated that the plane was targeted due to Hunt's presence on board, and that sabotage of the flight was covered up by government agencies.

[17][d] United Air Lines officials had asked the NTSB to hear Skolnick's version because he had frequently charged that UAL was among those attempting to suppress his explanation of events.

[17] The Chicago Tribune said that Skolnick "[knitted] scores of facts and assumptions together loosely" and "[no] documentation was produced to substantiate the charges".

[18] The accident, the deaths of Clark and Hunt, and elements of the conspiracy theories were featured in the 2023 HBO miniseries White House Plumbers.

Included were: for the first time in the memory of our staff, an FBI agent went to the control tower and listened to the tower tapes before our investigators had done so; and for the-first time to our knowledge, in connection with an aircraft accident, an FBI agent interviewed witnesses to the crash, including flight attendants on the aircraft prior to the NTSB interviews.

As I am sure you can understand, these actions, particularly with respect to this flight on which Mrs. E. Howard Hunt was killed, have raised innumerable questions in the minds of those with legitimate interests in ascertaining the cause of this accident.

In all such instances liaison is immediately, established with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) personnel upon their arrival at the scene.