Was anyone else repulsed by the sheer animal selfishness of those guys shoving aside women and children to get on the plane? It made me sick.

 

The plane was a World Airways 727-100 sent to Da Nang to help evacuate refugee women and children. Aboard was World Airways president Edward J. Daley, two reporters and cameraman. As the plane was loading, word wpread that enemy troops were approaching the field. Men of the crack South Vietnamese 1st Division, the Hac Bao (Black Panthers) made a dash for the airliner, shoving women and children aside in their panic. It was immediately apparent that the crowd was out of control so Daly told Capt. Kenneth Healy to take off. As engines were started, soldiers opened fire on the plane; a hand grenade was tossed under the wings in efforts to delay the departure, causing extensive damage to landing gear and flaps. As the plane gathered speed, frantic refugees and soldiers fought each other to get up the stairway with Daly pulling as many possible aboard.

Healy figures his ship was overloaded by 20,000 pounds. "We estimated there must hav been 360 people aboard a ship designed to carry 105. In the cabin there were 268 - this number we know for usre. The baggage compartments were loaded with people and there attempts to make the flight in the wheel wells and seven did get through that way to Saigon. Witness said bodies fell out but I can't say how many. I believe there were 80 to 90 in the lower compartments but an accurate count was not obtained as they unloaded before anyone thought to make a count."

"Some of the problems encountered were an aft stairway that remained partially extended for the entire flight and main wheels which would not retract. Pressurization was impossible so the flight was made at 10,000 feet. Fuel consumption was three times greater than normal and we landed at Saigon with little in the tanks. A grenade explosion removed two-thirds of the left inboard flap. I wholeheartedly praise the abilities of the 727 aircraft. It is a solid, dependable and completely honest aircraft".

Read more: B727-100c World Airways | HJG Message Boards

And a pic from the aircraft on the flight...


Said jet in 2006

 

This just in... Sweetwater 420 to be served on ATL-LGA flights. Checking TravelNet now...

 

You are welcome, I put the marketing depts. together.

 

It might be better at chalking tires.

 

ACL65 got a class date there in Dec 2006 IIRC.... I got an interview there the week I started at DL (after a good while of really pimping them, in fact I was slated to get an interview back in Nov 2006 but my name got lost in the shuffle)). ACL postponed his class date for a family issue, and I had already started at DL so turned the interview down.

Whew! That really sucks for those it affected- all the World guys I encountered were really great.

 

Totally agree. Hopefully DAL will bring as many on board as possible.

 

I almost went to work there in management after my 2001 furlough. I knew the chief of ops from the USAF and a lot of the ops guys. Something didn't feel right, books happened, and I passed. A lot of really great guys there. Lots of whom were airlifter buddies of mine. I feel sorry for them. Great job supporting the troops over the years.

 

I dunno. I think the relevant question to ax is who needs who more? Maybe neither needs the other at all when all the dust settles... but then again, I would wager that ALK needs us far more than we need them. We will find out in the near future.

 

Totally agreed... was the guy BY that you speak of? I guess the pull down this time was what finally did them in. They've always had cycles of hiring and furloughing, but I guess this and the "investment" company that had bought them finally did them in.

As upset as I was at them missing me on that interview call (after which the DO called and profusely apologized and said I would be first up in the next round, which he did follow through with... super super nice guy), I figured another door may open up. Flying the MD-11 would have been fun, though. (someone go check up on Bucking Bar after the seizure he just entered reading that)