Emergency Aboard 747 (Chapter 1)

The flight from Miami to London and on to Cairo, Egypt turned into a nightmare.

First a small problem compared to the rest~ I found my seat assignment wrong...who in the world put me in the very back of the plane ~little did I know that someone was 'someone up there' looking after me I later came to realize.

The large 747 Aircraft wasn't full therefore, I promptly asked an attendant if I could move to a seat up front where I usually fly. The attendant asked me to wait until we were airborne.

We were still at the gate when, down the aisle came loud shouting...kicking, banging ~ the biggest commotion you could imagine. He was yelling in a foreign language which I thought to be Arabic. Whatever was going on, was coming closer and closer until the shamble was brought to the last section where I was unhappily seated. All passengers aboard were on our feet, as was I. This was shocking to see and hear. We certainly had concerns and a little fear as well, I could say.

There before us, were four Airport Security Guards dragging a young foreigner as he wouldn't walk. He was the one doing all the yelling. He was totally disheveled. ... I could see he was bound by chains fastened around the ankles and wrists yet profoundly resisting his fate whatever he thought that to be.

He rattled the chains to make as much noise as he could along with yelling. He knew how to make a scene, for sure.

No one understood what he was screaming but the word buzzed through the plane that he was to be shackled to a back seat and returned to the country from which he had came as a stow-away.

Ah Ha, I thought...With all this going on as a diversion, was a good time to move to a better seat up front. If I had left my carry-on behind to come for later, might have made it, but the attendant saw me carrying my carry-on bag, which tipped her that I wasn't going to the restroom. She promptly ordered me back to my assigned seat.

"I thought I told you to wait until we were up!" she said as if talking to a child.
RATS~ I thought and returned to the back where all the disturbance was ongoing.

The Aircraft Commander, Senior Pilot was on the scene now. Everything had settled down to see what this man had to say.

"Sirs, I am asking you to remove this man from the plane," he spoke in a nice manner.

The Guards said something that I couldn't hear and the Pilot stated that he was in command of this craft and had the last say in any matter that occurred on his plane.

He told the guards his passengers were threatening to deplane before flying with this disturbance aboard and therefore

he order them to remove their prisoner from the plane at once.

He firmly stated that there was no authority above his for this flight.

They left with the shackled man who went quietly at this point.

We were finally airborne; I had a nice seat up front and all was going well. Everyone was settled down for the long trans-Atlantic flight.

Twenty minutes into the flight and over the Atlantic Ocean,

there was a loud boom. It was an explosion. The plane began to shake...shake...shake...

I could hear people on the other side of the plane ...their talking turned to panic talking and crying. The Attendants ran to gather around.

Everyone else sat in silence waiting...we KNEW. This wasn't good.
For sure,

we had a real emergency aboard the big beautiful 747.

I have always been grateful to have been sitting on the other side of the plane and not seen the damaged and burning engine #3.

I do well without that scene imprinted into my memory.

There are fire extinguishers on the engines but they had been damaged and the engine had torn away from the wing...I was later told. The Pilot who had taken care of us earlier come on the PA and ordered the Attendants to be seated and cabin service would be discontinued.

The passengers were quiet and several skirmished about to sit with their family. Many were going to the back of the plane. Guess they thought it to be safer...and I had given my seat in that area.

Being alone, I moved to a window seat.

Whatever happened, I wanted full view.

The intercom was on again, and our pilot restated ordering all passangers to be seated with seat belts securely fastened...

then he said

"Remember, your seat cushion also serves as a floation device."

With those words the full impact of possibilities hit me.

For the first time, FEAR shot through me.

We might not make it.

I don't like fear so dismissed it immediately.

We were ok, I told myself, we would be ok, I told myself and believed it.

Minutes passed~ and The plane stopped shaking...we were flying ok

but going down.

The word was passed around, they had finally jettisoned the damaged engine from the plane.

No one uttered a word. We all sat silently, waiting.

We were descending over the ocean...

"We are going in," I thought. (into the ocean)

I looked at the time...would we make the 6 o'clock News?

Would my family know it was my plane? Would they worry about me?

All these thoughts went through my mind. THEN,

I remembered seeing the movie "Airplane" where a 747 landed on the ocean...and floated for a long time.

Everyone got out by jumping down the chutes.

I could now see a cargo ship below...

we were circling it getting lower and lower.

"OK, I thought, this won't be so bad...we land on water, jump down the chutes...get picked up by a passing ship...GREAT STORY to tell," I thought and even got excited.

Excitement is a good thing to have, especially if the only other choice would be fear.

To me, it sounded like one hell of a thrill.

I had it all thought out.

The pilot came back on the intercom to confirm

we had lost engine #3 and assure us by saying the plane was designed to fly from Miami to London on only one of the powerful engines,

however,

that wasn't the best plan. He then explained that we would jettison all the fuel from the plane and return to Miami.

"If you will look out the window," he said, "you will see the fuel being dumped into the ocean. We will dump enough fuel to power each of your cars for a full year."

He explained this would take about 30 minutes and then we would be on our way back to Miami.

The photographer in me took this picture...see the fuel streaming from the tip of the wing?

At Miami International Airport, we were met with full emergengy squads lined along the runway...they held back all air traffic for us to get back down.

Our pilot was a hero in his management of all crisis. All of this...and we didn't even make the evening news. Can you imagine that happening in our terror minded world today?

I had a Telex to send to Cairo and phone calls to make.

Nancy, my friend who lived in London was to meet me there for a 6 hour layover before my plane left for Cairo. They needed to know I would be a day late as well.

The airline put us up overnight to start with a new plane the next day.

My pilot husband explained a few things.

He said the pilot descended because a plane burns more fuel at a lower altitude and the he also added what I probably didn't need to ever know.

He said the movie "Airplane" was just that,
a movie...and went on to say a

747 aircraft, upon impact with water, would break up.

WHEW...am I glad I didn't know that.

iJune