A 30¢ nightmare
Eastern Air Lines Flight 855 from Miami International Airport is normally a 30-minute pleasure hop to the resort of Nassau, some 180 miles away. But the trip became a brief waking nightmare for 162 passengers and ten crew members aboard Flight 855 last week. For 50 heart-stopping minutes, they faced possible disaster as their trijet L-1011 aircraft lost power in all three engines and fell almost four miles, to within 4,000 ft. of the Atlantic waves. As trembling passengers fumbled into their life jackets, Pilot Richard Boddy made an ominous announcement:
"Ditching is imminent." Alerted Coast Guard cutters sped toward...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
