Denny Fitch--hero pilot back in 1989

[johnny]

From Wiki
"Dennis E. "Denny" Fitch, Sr. (1942 – May 7, 2012) was an American commercial airline pilot. He was best known for his critical actions as an off-dutyMcDonnell Douglas DC-10 training captain who helped captain Alfred Haynes minimize loss of life on United Airlines Flight 232, when all flight controlswere lost, on July 19, 1989. Fitch used differential throttle adjustment to steer the airliner to an oblique crash-landing at Sioux Gateway Airport, in Sioux City, Iowa, resulting in the survival of 185 out of 296 on-board.^[1][2] After the crash, in which he was injured, he returned to flying duties with United Airlines.^[3]He was commended by then-President George H. W. Bush and in Senate Resolution 174 of the 101st United States Congress, as a result of his feat.^[4]"




amazing story. certainly deserving of a thread.
if you click on it and the video you will be amazed for about a half hour.
they did a wonderful show years later on this flight. the best part is that too date, no set of pilots has been able to replicate what denny fitch and the other pilots did that day in landing that plane.

"Airline pilot Denny Fitch was hitching a ride home on a DC-10 in 1989 when heard an explosion somewhere in the back of the jet. He soon made his way to the cockpit to see if the crew needed help.
Inside, he found three men desperately trying to keep the giant plane in the air after losing all hydraulic power needed to control direction and altitude. Fitch took a seat in the only space available – the floor – and helped operate some of the only equipment still working – the wing engines – to try to land the aircraft carrying nearly 300 people."
189 of them did survive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3OicxK1GPo

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...n_1505335.html

[Joee]

The crew did an outstanding job. I believe Fitch wasn't strapped in on impact, so that's a significant addition to the thump factor. I've experimented with a no hydraulics scenario in a 767 simulator and it's more than a handful, and that's in a zero pressure environment.
I've always had a high level of respect for Fitch, Haynes and company.

[johnny]

i know, amazing that he was unstrapped so knew that he was least likely to survive in that cockpit. the plane splits into three parts.
how about the line that pilot Haynes gave in that cool as a cucumber voice in response to the flight controller about you want me to try for a specific runway...

"Dennis E. Fitch – A DC-10 pilot and instructor, he helped Captain Al Haynes fly United Airlines Flight 232. "For the 30 minutes I was up there," Fitch said, "I was the most alive I've ever been. That is the only way I can describe it to you."^[19] Fitch died at the age of 69 on May 6, 2012, after a battle with brain cancer."

[SueWahoo]

amazing story. certainly deserving of a thread.
if you click on it and the video you will be amazed for about a half hour.
they did a wonderful show years later on this flight. the best part is that too date, no set of pilots has been able to replicate what denny fitch and the other pilots did that day in landing that plane.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Ba...tdown_incident

I was just watching an Air Emergency yesterday and it had Denny Fitch (a hero of mine ) commenting on this very incident. I love Denny (and Al).

[malteness]

An ex-coworker of mine survived this plane crash. He was in the USA for a year from Australia on a student exchange program. He was 19 at the time. He has always praised the crew for their actions.

[johnny]

wow. that must have been a helluva ride.