Flight 232: A Story of Disaster and Survival (57 page)

engine has put in more hours of service
: General Electric website at http://www.geaviation.com/engines/commercial/ (accessed April 9, 2012).

The mechanics swapped engines freely
: Young, John G., 1989,
Maintenance Records Group Chairman’s Factual Report of Investigation
, October 23, Exhibit 11-A;
Aircraft Engine Historical Data
, Exhibit 11-B;
Maintenance Release Documents
(undated), Exhibit 11-C.

Debbie and Ruth were tennis partners
: McKelvey.

Cinnamon was traveling alone
: White.

press later reported
: Zahren, Bill, and John Quinlan, 1989, “Pilot Could Be Seen Struggling,”
Sioux City Journal
, July 21, p. A:12:1.

CHAPTER FIVE

72 It had rained a bit earlier in Washington, D.C.
: All weather reconstructed using
Historical Weather
at www.wunderground.com/history (accessed September 18, 2013).

At about 4
:30 in the afternoon, the director: MacIntosh.

in 1985 a Japan Airlines 747
: Aviation Safety Network at http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19850812-1 (accessed July 15, 2013).

“Bob, this is a big one”
: Benzon; MacIntosh.

She had sent a postcard
: Scene reconstructed using Jan Brown; Conant; Griffin; Hatch; McDowell; McGrady; Owens; Dave and Susan Randa; White.

Fitch understood that they had 369,000 pounds
: AAR-90/06, p. 11.

nearly 250 miles an hour
: The speed varied widely as the plane went through its phugoid oscillations. In the last few minutes, the flight data recorder showed speeds ranging from 179.50 knots (206.6 miles an hour) to 215.00 knots (247.1 miles an hour). Grossi, 1989, pp. 57–61.

“But,” he later said
: Morris 2001.

Sioux City airport leased about a thousand acres
: NTSB Transcript, p. 61.

left engine spooled up
: As the right wing began dipping, the right (number three) engine went from 38.91 to 81.01 percent power at impact, but its power lagged behind that of the left (number one) engine. Grossi, 1989, p. 60.

relationship between the position of the throttle
: NTSB Transcript, p. 169.

Some of the banks of seats were thrown high
: Owens. Also, this was reported by numerous eyewitnesses and can be seen on the video of the crash, available at laurencegonzales.com.

CHAPTER SIX

seven-foot fan on the front of the CF6-6
: Information about titanium and other metals from Donachie, Matthew J., Jr. (ed.), 1988,
Titanium: A Technical Guide
(Metals Park, OH: ASM International); Lütjering, Gerd, and James C. Williams, 2003,
Titanium
(New York: Springer-Verlag); International Titanium Association, 2011,
Titanium the Metal
, video provided by Jennifer Simpson, executive director (see www.titanium.org for more information). Confirmation and additional technical information from Benzon; Brate; Cherolis; Clark; MacIntosh; Socie; Wizniak; Wildey.

varying the thickness
: Lütjering and Williams, 2003, p. 356.

It is so tough that about half a million square feet
: Lütjering and Williams, 2003, p. 354.

Christopher Glynn
: NTSB Transcript, p. 409.

most likely Roland Stig Larson
: Diegel (undated), Exhibit 6-Z, p. 27 and seating charts.

He may have been seeing Larry Niehus
: Dvorak; Niehus; Records.

As the A-7 pilots watched, the tail came to a stop
: Dickens, Bobby L. (undated),
Witness Group Chairman Report of Factual Investigation
, Exhibit 4-A, p. 17. Major Harry E. Greer III, who had just landed an A-7, wrote in this report, “The large tail section spun off and slid to a stop on the taxiway in front of us about 1,000 feet.”

“We hit so hard”
: Morris 2001.

suffered minor injuries
: Diegel (undated), Exhibit 6-Z, pp. 16–30 and seating charts.

“Like a pinwheel”
: Morris 2001.

Bachman turned away
: Quinlan, John, 1989, “Flight 232 Tower Crew Works as Team,”
Sioux City Journal
, August 26, p. A:1:2.

went unsteadily down the tower stairs
: Associated Press, 1989, “Traffic Controller Honored,”
Sioux City Journal
, August 19, A:1:1.

“MAC, I, we have the airplane down one half mile from the airport”
: Undated, unsigned transcript of emergency services radio transmissions, titled “Transcripts Siouxland Health Services United Flight 232,” p. 10.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Brad Griffin had his hands on the first class seat
: Clapper; Griffin.

When the command to brace came
: Dave and Susan Randa; White.

Kari and Thomas were able to let themselves down
: Kari and David Milford.

For mysteriously, money had begun to appear
: Gary Brown; Kaplan, Dave, pers. comm., December 22, 2013; Walker; Zortman, R. Doc, pers. comm., October 25, 2013.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your first flight attendant”
:
United Airlines Land Evacuation Checklist
, Exhibit 6-E.

CHAPTER EIGHT

before 1819 Uniform was within sight
: Gary Brown; Lindblade 1989.

The radio chatter, however, betrayed
: Lindblade, George, 1989,
Alert 3: The Crash of UA 232 Sioux City, Iowa, July 19, 1989
(Sioux City, IA: G. R. Lindblade).

Gary Brown had lobbied
: Gary Brown; Lindblade.

“We have a DC-nine, er, ten”
: Lindblade 1989.

“We encountered dense smoke”
: Lindblade 1989. Also unpublished 1989 interviews by Lindblade.

“It was very hot”
: Lindblade 1989.

food service staff began carrying out
: Gary Brown.

Eighty-eight people arrived at Marian for treatment
: Lindblade 1989.

“I’ll tell you a secret”
: Dieber.

acting Woodbury County medical examiner, Dr. Gene Herbek
: Herbek; Lindblade 1989.

Some time that afternoon, a forensic pathologist
: Herbek; Randall.

DeJong worked there
: DeJong; Herbek; Randall.

CHAPTER NINE

great fan at the front of the CF6-6 engine
: Information on jet engines from Gunston 2006; Hünecke 1997; General Electric website at http://www.geaviation.com/engines/commercial/ (accessed June 16, 2012). Confirmation and additional technical information from Benzon; Cherolis; Clark; MacIntosh; Wildey; Wizniak.

“It is usual to design each fuel burner”
: Gunston 2006, p. 29.

“We elected to design”
: NTSB Transcript, pp. 439, 447.

Ward Palmer, Johnson’s paramedic supervisor
: Palmer; Lindblade 1989.

Among those volunteers, Jim Walker
: Gary Brown; and Walker.

“there were a lot of people”
: NTSB Transcript, p. 86.

As Bendixen approached, Chaplain Clapper
: Bendixen; Clapper; Dvorak; Records.

Upton Rehnberg worked for Sundstrand
: Scene reconstructed using Jan Brown; Rehnberg; Transue; Rehnberg, Upton (undated),
Brace, Brace, Brace
(unpublished memoir).

wall of flame had passed through the coach cabin
: Crash sequence in this and other chapters reconstructed using interviews with passengers, crew members from the flight deck and cabin, and videos taken by Scott Plambeck of the 185th and Bob Buxom from the television station KTIV. I checked those sources against eyewitnesses on the ground and in the control tower. Additional information from Benzon; MacIntosh; Walker; Wizniak; Zahren; and Diegel (undated), Exhibit 6-A.

clear that she would not be able to escape
: Jan Brown; Transue.

From the time of the crash
: NTSB Transcript, p. 128.

most urgent job Harrington had before him
: Operations in morgue reconstructed using Collins; DeJong; Filippi; Henry; Herbek; Randall; photographs; white boards; Diegel (undated), Exhibit 6-Z.

Harrington now recalled that a C-130
: Harrington; Gonsolley, Bob, 1989, “Area Helicopter Service Enables Hospitals to Respond Quickly to Crash,”
Sioux City Journal
, August 6, p. unknown; photographs.

Moments later the phone rang
: Filippi.

CHAPTER TEN

In 1989, the
Sioux City Journal
: Scenes of reporting reconstructed using Fageol; Poole; Porter; Quinlan; Reinders; Zahren. Also, Olson, Cal, 1989, “When United Flight 232 Crash-Landed,”
Editor and Publisher
, August 12, pp. 14–25; Poole, Marcia, 1997, “Close Enough to Feel,” master’s thesis, University of Nebraska, August.

“There was so much out there”
: Poole 1997, p. 15.

woman named Lynn Hartter
: Hartter; Nielsen. Also, Dickens (undated), pp. 10–12.

“It is doubtful, however”
: Poole 1997, p. 30.

Zenor, however, was in shock
: Poole 1997; Zenor, Shari J., 1989, “Typical Day Becomes Day of Disaster,”
Sioux City Journal
, July 20, p. A:12:1.

Just before the crash, a volunteer
: Kaplan, Dave, pers. comm., December 13–18, 2013.

Jim Allen, a lieutenant with Engine 5
: Rescue of the pilots reconstructed using Bendixen; Clapper; Dvorak; Haynes; Records; White; Lindblade 1989; Morris 2001. Also, Schossow, Rebecca, and Bobbi Peters, 1989, “How Did Individual Units React? Here Are Two Stories,”
Sioux City Journal
, August 6, p. A:8:5.

“trapped in this wreckage”
: Lindblade 1989.

“a large amount of cash blowing around”
: Gary Brown; Walker.

Dave Kaplan, one of Gary Brown’s volunteers
: Kaplan, Dave, pers. comm., December 22, 2013.

United Airlines issued a denial
: “United Denies Money Rumor,” 1989,
Sioux City Journal
, July 25, A:4:5.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Margo Crain, thirty-one, was on her way to Chicago
: Crain; Crain, Margo, undated, untitled, unpublished memoir.

Ruth wore a ring
: White boards.

To make a useful engineering material
: Description of making titanium compiled using Wildey; Young 1989;
United Airlines Fan Disk and Fan Rotor Inspection Records
(undated), Exhibit 11-G;
Fan Disk Serial Number MPO00385 Manufacturing Records
(undated), Exhibit 11-K;
Titanium Billet and Disk Forging Manufacturing Records
(undated), International Titanium Association 2011; Exhibit 11-L; Donachie 1988, pp. 37–44; GE Comments, pp. 73–74; NTSB Transcript, pp. 463, 468–469.

“There is a significant ‘art’ content”
: Lütjering and Williams, 2003, p. 61.

In early 1971, TIMET had to blend
: GE Comments, pp. 73–74.

They then chemically cleaned the chunks
: GE comments, pp. 73–74.

“an arc, of specified amperage”
: GE Comments, p. 74.

They were searching for places
: NTSB Transcript, pp. 463–464.

“There’s basically two levels of quality”
: NTSB Transcript, pp. 468–469.

technicians then impressed the identifying label
: NTSB Transcript, pp. 500–507.

It left on a Glen Cartage truck
: Titanium Metals Corporation of America, sales order 59-55796, March 26, 1971,
Certificate of Test, Notice of Shipment
, found in
Titanium Billet and Disk Forging Manufacturing Records
(undated), Exhibit 11-L, p. 7.

Muto and Skaanes sat on the ground
: Photograph provided by Bendixen.

Boese’s neck was broken
: Diegel (undated), Exhibit 6-Z, p. 19 and seating charts.

As the clock struck midnight
: Skaanes, Gitte, pers. comm., February 25, 2013.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Robert MacIntosh left his office at NTSB
: Benzon; Lopatkiewicz; MacIntosh.

Theirs was not the only Go Team
: NTSB Transcript, pp. 196–197.

Ten minutes before 1819 Uniform crashed
: Scene reconstructed using Badis; Bayless; Benham; Martz; Amy Mobley; Rusty Mobley; Priest; Joan Wernick; Pete Wernick; Will Wernick. Also, Schemmel 1996; Martz, Charles R., 1989,
Recollections of the Crash of UAL Flight 232 July 19, 1989, Dictated by Charles R. Martz
(unpublished memoir), November 6.

man sitting behind him, Walter Williams
: White boards; Diegel (undated), Exhibit 6-Z, p. 13 and seating charts.

In some places the ceiling had been crushed
: AAR-90/06, p. 39. Also, photographs of the burned victims trapped in the wreckage and video taken July 20, 1989, by Dan Potts, a paramedic.

“I knew at that moment”
: Schemmel 1996, p. 57.

“I remember being in the brace position”
: Diegel 1989 (undated), Exhibit 6-Z, pp. 49–50; NTSB Transcript, p. 918.

“I know I couldn’t see anything”
: Schemmel, 1996, p. 60.

When the engine blew up, Sister Mary later said
: Eck; Eck and Eck (undated).

When he reached them
: Schemmel 1996, pp. 66–67.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

When the billet of titanium
: NTSB Transcript, pp. 500–501.

“All of the preforming work”
: NTSB Transcript, pp. 500–501.

ring of metal was cut from around the bore
: NTSB Transcript, p. 503.

As James W. Tucker
: NTSB Transcript, p. 557.

Douglas installed the engine on a brand new DC-10
: AAR-90/06, p. 15.

Tony Feeney, the skinny fourteen-year-old boy
: Feeney; Diegel (undated), Exhibit 6-Z, p. 54.

Feeney made the sign of the cross
: Briggs-Bunting, Jane, David Diamond and Jack Hayes, 1989, “Here I Was Sitting at the Edge of Eternity,”
Life
, September, pp. 28–39.

“The teenager clearly remembers”
: Poole 1989.