Saw this on the GB, but thought it belonged here too, especially for you aviation buffs.
https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/al-haynes-united-airlines-pilot-who-saved-184-lives-during-1989-plane-crash-dies/
I'd recommend reading the whole article. He stayed active volunteering in the community for decades into his retirement. Sounds like a really interesting guy.
https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/al-haynes-united-airlines-pilot-who-saved-184-lives-during-1989-plane-crash-dies/
Quote:
On July 19, 1989, the rear engine of the United Airlines DC-10 he was piloting exploded at 37,000 feet on the way from Denver to Chicago. Shrapnel from the explosion broke the trijet's hydraulic lines, making it nearly impossible for the flight crew to control the plummeting plane.
Under the command of Mr. Haynes, crew members alternated throttling the left and right engines to steer as the plane spiraled downwards.
Quote:
The plane skidded across the runway in a fiery blast and landed upside-down in a cornfield. Although 111 people died that day another would die a month later from injuries sustained in the crash the 184 who lived became a family of their own.
Survivors of the crash stayed in touch and still get together for a reunion every year. He and his flight staff got together monthly until he passed.Quote:
Mr. Haynes, born in Paris, Texas, studied industrial technology at Texas A&M for three years and then joined the Naval Aviation Cadet Training program. He served as a Marine aviator until 1956, when he became a commercial pilot with United Airlines.
I'd recommend reading the whole article. He stayed active volunteering in the community for decades into his retirement. Sounds like a really interesting guy.
