deadly incident in the sky. i had just completed working extensively on northwest 255, a crash in detroit, michigan. i was about to get started on a new case, continental 1713 in denver, colorado, and i had a three-week break in between those two cases. this was going to be a vacation that i would really remember. february 24th, 1989, 2:00 a.m., united airlines flight 811 is en route from honolulu to auckland, new zealand. 355 people are on board for the night flight over the pacific. takeoff and initial climb are normal. we were settling in for a restful flight and the aircraft was climbing. but as the boeing 747 approaches 23,000 feet, the shock of a lifetime. there was an explosion. everything that wasn t tied down was airborne. these dramatic animations put you next to the plane as the forward right cargo door rips open in flight, slams upward
flying requires trust that all the people involved, ground crews, mechanics, pilots are doing what they re supposed to do. and that the airplane itself will function normally. but for the passengers of this unlucky flight, that trust is about to be shaken, when a cargo door explodes open in midair. 1989, i was a practicing trial lawyer in denver. i hadn t had a vacation in about three years. bruce lambert is a licensed pilot and an aviation attorney who represents plane crash victims. he never imagined he would end up experiencing and surviving a deadly incident in the sky. i had just completed working extensively on northwest 255, a
extensively on northwest 255, a crash in detroit, michigan. i was about to get started on a new case, continental 1713 in denver, colorado and i had a three-week break in between those two cases. this was going to be a vacation that i would really remember. february 24th, 1989, 2:00 a.m., united airlines flight 811 is en route from honolulu to auckland, new zealand. 355 people are on board for the night flight over the pacific. takeoff and initial climb are normal. we were settling in for a restful flight and the aircraft was climbing. but as the boeing 747 approaches 23,000 feet, the shock of a lifetime. there was an explosion. everything that wasn t tied down was airborne. these dramatic animations put
i had just completed working extensively on northwest 255, a crash in detroit, michigan. i was about to get started on a new case, continental 1713 in denver, colorado and i had a three-week break in between those two cases. this was going to be a vacation that i would really remember. february 24th, 1989, 2:00 a.m., united airlines flight 811 is en route from honolulu to auckland, new zealand. 355 people are on board for the night flight over the pacific. takeoff and initial climb are normal. we were settling in for a restful flight and the aircraft was climbing. but as the boeing 747 approaches 23,000 feet, the shock of a lifetime. there was an explosion. everything that wasn t tied down was airborne.
extensively on northwest 255, a crash in detroit, michigan. i was about to get started on a new case, continental 1713 in denver, colorado and i had a three-week break in between those two cases. this was going to be a vacation i would really remember. february 24th, 1989, 2:00 a.m., united airlines flight 811 is en route from honolulu to auckland, new zealand. 355 people are on board for the night flight over the pacific. takeoff and initial climb are normal. we were settling in for a restful flight, and the aircraft was climbing. but as the boeing 747 approaches 23,000 feet, the shock of a lifetime. there was an explosion. everything that wasn t tied down was airborne. these dramatic animations put you next to the plane as the forward right cargo door rips open in flight, slams upward creating a gaping hole in the fuselage and then falls from the plane. the resulting massive depressurization sucks out two rows of seats and nine passengers. the door swung out, it s an