MIRACLE IN THE BLIZZARD

The remarkable thing about the fiery crash was not that 28 people died, but that 54 lived

- Henry Hurt

Swirling snow and gusting winds stormed outside the warm cabin as the DC-9 jetliner sat on the runway at Stapleton International Airport in the western US city of Denver, Colorado.

From her seat at the back of the plane, flight attendant Kelly Engelhart had a clear view along the cabin’s centre aisle to the cockpit door. In this secure cocoon, the 77 passengers on Continental Airlines Flight 1713, bound for Boise, Idaho, were settled.

A petite, effervescent woman with black hair and large, dark eyes, Kelly thought about her husband, Tim, an investment banker, and their children, five and three, whom she had kissed goodbye that Sunday morning. It was 15 November 1987.

Kelly, 35, had flown in some foul weather during her nine years as a flight attendant. But today, uneasy about the near-blizzard conditions, she had asked two friends to pray for her safety.

She was also disturbed by First Officer Lee Bruecher’s extremely youthful appearance. In fact, the 26-year-old had completed his DC-9 flight training only nine weeks earlier. Before joining Continental, he had been fired from another job for his incompetence as a pilot.

In an extraordinary step, Kelly questioned Captain Frank Zvonek about Bruecher. He told her not to worry. He assured her that he would not let Bruecher land the plane on their return flight to Denver. Allowing him to be at the controls during takeoff was so unthinkable that it did not occur to Kelly to ask that question.