Sierra Hotel Blog
On June 24, 1982, British Airways Flight 009 — Speedbird 9 — lost all four engines after flying through an invisible ash plume from Mount Galunggung over the Indian Ocean. The Boeing 747 became a 300-ton glider in the dark, descending toward the sea. Through extraordinary airmanship, Captain Eric Moody and his crew restarted the engines and landed safely in Jakarta. All 262 people on board walked away without a scratch.
Continue reading
On August 31, 1986, a Piper Cherokee without transponder clearance collided with Aeroméxico Flight 498 over Cerritos, California. All 64 aboard the DC-9 and 15 on the ground were killed. The disaster led to mandatory TCAS and Mode C transponder requirements in US airspace.
Continue reading
