A Brief History On April 28, 1988, while in flight a jet airliner had its roof suddenly and violently blown off, taking a hapless flight attendant with it. Amazingly, the airliner landed safely with no other fatalities. Sometimes bad things happen to aircraft, and some of those times bizarre or amazing things, even cracked things, happen. Sure, having a nuclear bomber unintentionally drop its nuclear bombs or crash while carrying nukes is cracked, but it happened so many times those incidents do not qualify here. Here are 10 instances when aircraft incidents are unusual enough to be considered bizarre. Digging…
Author: Major Dan
Major Dan
Major Daniel Zar is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.
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A Brief History On April 28, 1988, Aloha Airlines flight 243 was on the way to Honolulu from Hilo when a huge portion of the upper part of the fuselage blew off the airplane. Digging Deeper The 19 year old Boeing 737, named Queen Liliuokalani was one of the most common jet liners in the world. Flying at about 24,000 feet 23 minutes into the flight, the ceiling above the passengers just aft of the entrance door suddenly and explosively ripped off, leaving an open sun roof about one quarter the length of the airplane! Flight attendant Clarabelle Lansing, age…
A Brief History On April 27, 1945, Italian Dictator Benito Mussolini was captured by Italian partisans and shot the next day, his body hung up in public and pelted with stones, spat upon, and generally scorned, an inglorious end to a strutting peacock of an egomaniac. Many other leaders of countries have met humiliating and gory ends, sometimes deserved and sometimes not. Here are 10 examples of how far the mighty can fall when bloodthirsty enemies can get a hold of them. Digging Deeper 10. Harold Holt, Prime Minister of Australia (1967). Holt disappeared while swimming in the ocean and…
A Brief History On April 27, 1945, World War II was almost over, a disaster for the Italian people who had been led into it by their pompous and egotistical dictator. Digging Deeper Benito Mussolini, or Il Duce (The Duke) as he was called, disguised himself as a German soldier and traveled with 15 of his henchmen, including his mistress, trying desperately to get to Switzerland. The plan was to go to Spain after getting to neutral Switzerland where he would be safe from the Allies and his own people. Of course, he never made it, for he was arrested…
A Brief History On April 27, 1865, the paddle-wheel steamboat, SS Sultana was carrying 2427 people when she blew up, killing 1800! Digging Deeper The Mississippi steamboat was jammed with soldiers returning North from the Civil War, mostly Union soldiers who had been in Confederate prisoner of war camps (especially Cahawba and Andersonville). Crowded onto the riverboat designed to carry only 376 people, many of the soldiers were emaciated and ailing from their time in the horrendous prison camps. The ship had started from New Orleans and had made a stop at Vicksburg (Mississippi) in order to repair a boiler. …