A Brief History On February 3, 1998, a bizarre aircraft accident occurred on the ski slopes of Italy when a USMC EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare jet flew below allowable altitude and cut the cable to a cable car carrying skiers. Digging Deeper The cable car was carrying an operator and 19 passengers, all of whom were killed as the car fell 300 feet from the severed cable. The pilot and navigator of the jet were uninjured, and the damaged jet made a safe landing. The accident happened in the Dolomite mountains at Cavalese, and of course, the Italian public and…
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A Brief History On January 27, 1961, the Soviet Navy proved how dangerous the lives of submariners can be, when the Whiskey class submarine S-80 managed to sink with all hands without any outside help, what we call an “Oops moment.” Digging Deeper The S-80 was in a prolific class of submarines with 236 built between 1950 and 1960. About 249 feet long with a normal crew of 52, the subs were powered by the familiar diesel-electric combination motors. On the fateful day, S-80 was patrolling the Barents Sea using its snorkel to allow the use of the diesel engines…
A Brief History On January 26, 2001, college lacrosse player and coach, Diane Whipple, was attacked by a pair of Presa Canarios, dogs that generally weigh well over 100 pounds. Despite being a world class athlete, the 33 year old Whipple was killed by the fierce canines. Digging Deeper While the long and low Dachshund is often regarded as the fiercest of dogs, the little wieners are not likely to kill a human. But what kind of dogs are likely to attack people? Dogs big enough and aggressive enough to present real danger to people according to the MKP Law…
A Brief History On January 19, 1995, a Bristow Helicopters Eurocopter AS332L Super Puma suffered a terrifying lightning strike while transporting 16 oil workers and a crew of two from Aberdeen, Scotland to an offshore oil rig. Much like the more famous “Miracle on the Hudson” in 2009, the skilled pilot was able to make a water landing and saved all on board. Digging Deeper Unlike the Hudson River, the North Sea is farther from shore and considerably rougher, with far fewer folks around to conduct an immediate rescue. The icy cold water in January could kill survivors within minutes…
A Brief History On January 17, 2017, the sad saga of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 came to an end of sorts, when authorities announced an end to the futile search for the lost airliner. The fact that we still cannot find the huge Boeing 777 jetliner in this modern era is amazing, but the incident fits with other airplane disappearances, some which we list here: Digging Deeper Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed Model 10-E Electra that disappeared over the Pacific Ocean in 1937. Bandleader Glenn Miller in a US Army Noorduyn UC-64A over the English Chanel in 1944. Flight 19 of five…