a dc-9 is on its way from dallas to toronto with 41 passengers 3 flight attendants and 2 pilots onboard. the pilots are having dinner at cruising height with the fo eating first. the flight is smooth at crusing height of 33000 feet. the first sign of trouble is the circuit breakers popping which indicates a possible problem with the toilets flushing motor (where it is). in the cabin a passenger notices a weird odor and they notice smoke and a weird smell the senior flight attendant is told and uses the fire extingusher but it doesn’t fix the problem. the fo and the flight attendant disagree on how bad the smoke is with the fo saying they should decend but the flight attendant thinks its improving but it gets worse not better and they are losing electrical systems it is clear they need to decend to an emergency landing. they declare mayday and request diversion to cliinciatti airport and they decend to 6000 feet. the plane is on emergency power and the smoke is suffocating passengers and the oxygen masks can’t be lowered due to it not being in the procedure for fire the flight attendants tell the passengers how to open the overwing exits not normal procedure in 1983. the plane lands smoothly against the odds passengers trying to escape after landing but its not proving easy and the captain is slumped on the controls so the fo asks the fire crew to hit it with foam this works to save the captains life but 23 passengers die in the fire all the crew and 18 passengers survive. the cause of the accident was damage to the rear preasure bulkhead in a tail strike before the crash there is critiercism of the pilots not diverting to a nearer airport in louivile but the rate of decent needed made them think they made the right call.
next time a storm in guam dooms a 747.
Harrison’s world 