There was small cause for alarm when United Air Lines Pilot John Grosso reported, ten minutes out of Denver, that his Los Angeles-bound DC-8, with 122 persons aboard, had lost most of the pressure in its hydraulic system. The landing gear would still drop into place and lock. Once on the runway, Grosso might not be able to maneuver the steerable nose wheel, but reverse engine thrust would slow his plane down, and a reserve supply of hydraulic fluid would permit some operation of the main landing-gear brakes. As a last resort, the...
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