35 Miles from Shore: The Ditching and Rescue of ALM Flight 980

by Emilio Corsetti III

Overview

On May 2, 1970, a DC-9 jet with 57 passengers and a crew of six departed from New York’s JFK International Airport en route to the tropical island of St. Maarten, but four hours and 34 minutes later the flight ended in the shark-infested waters of the Caribbean. It was, and remains, the only open-water ditching of a commercial jet. The subsequent rescue of survivors took nearly three hours and involved the coast guard, navy, and marines. This gripping account of that fateful day recounts what was happening inside the cabin, the cockpit, and the helicopters as the crews struggled against the weather and dwindling daylight to rescue the survivors, who had only their life vests and a lone escape chute to keep them afloat.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780977897100
Publisher:	Odyssey Publishing, LLC
Publication date:	04/28/2008
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.73(d)
Age Range:	15 Years

About the Author

Emilio Corsetti III is a professional pilot and author whose work has appeared in publications such as the Chicago Tribune, Multimedia Producer, and Professional Pilot magazine. He lives in Lake St. Louis, Missouri.

Editorial Reviews

"This well-researched, fast-paced study vividly re-creates the chain of errors that resulted in the catastrophe, the harrowing rescue missions, and the mixed effects of the tragedy on the subsequent lives of the crew, survivors, and rescuers." —Library Journal



"A wonderful book. It's like reading a fine novel except it's all true. For aviation people it is also a valuable safety lesson." —Bob Buck, author, North Star Over My Shoulder

"The most astounding nonfiction book I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Extremely detailed, well researched and action packed, this book is a don't put down book until it's finished, Wow!!" —frontstreet reviews.com

"This gripping account of a tragedy, with heroes galore, is mesmerizing reading." —newbookreviews.org

From the Publisher

The most astounding nonfiction book I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Extremely detailed, well researched, and action packed. . . . Wow!!

frontstreet reviews

This gripping account of a tragedy, with heroes galore, is mesmerizing reading.

newbookreviews.org

Experienced pilot/writer Corsetti begins with two airline CEOs eager to capitalize on a burgeoning leisure travel market. A small Caribbean company, ALM, hoped to establish a route between St. Maarten and New York but, lacking long-distance planes, reached an agreement with Overseas National Airways (ONA) to provide the planes (DC-9s) and crews. Regular service, on a route acknowledged to be perilously close to the maximum range of the planes, commenced in January 1970 without the planned installation of auxiliary fuel tanks. On May 2, 1970, ALM 980 departed New York for St. Maarten with 57 passengers and a crew of six. Shrouded in rain squalls, the flight was diverted to San Juan, Puerto Rico, but an erroneous report of a break in the weather over St. Maarten caused the captain, his plane low on fuel, to make the tragic decision to return and land at St. Maarten. After three blown landing attempts, the plane had to ditch 35 miles from shore, and 23 of the passengers and crew perished. This well-researched, fast-paced study vividly re-creates the chain of errors that resulted in the catastrophe, the harrowing rescue missions, and the mixed effects of the tragedy on the subsequent lives of the crew, survivors, and rescuers. Recommended for all aeronautical collections and major libraries.
—John Carver Edwards Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

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