the plane has run out of fuel and is coming in fast over a wooded residential area. captain mcbroom heads towards the only unlit spot he can see below between the housing. the plane barely clears an apartment building. i thought we were landing at the airport. i was very delighted, and then the delight turns to fear because i had no idea what was going on. it just felt like it was never going to stop. as the plane tears through the trees the front section violently rips away. it wasn t until after we had stopped moving that i really grasped the enormity of what had just happened. the aircraft is destroyed. ten people, all sitting in the front section that separated, die from the impact trauma. the rest of the passengers are dazed. it was so cold.
united flight 173 has been flying in a holding pattern near the portland oregon airport for more than an hour. the captain wants time to troubleshoot a possible landing gear problem but now, something far more urgent is on the horizon. portland tower, united 173, mayday, mayday, the engines are flaming out, we re going down. we re not going to be able to make the airport. the passengers are aware of the increasingly dire situation. the only lights on were reading lights and some people realized that something was wrong and yelled for us to get our heads down. the plane has run out of fuel and it s coming in fast over a wooded residential area. captain mcbroom heads towards