Flight 417 - 1. Prologue: A Little Unwelcome Rain

It was Friday, July 13th, 1990; that was the day we got on that death trap. Flight 234 from Orlando Airport to Gatwick Airport. My father was taking us on a long and wonderful trip to London. He had to do some business while he was there, but my mom and brother would have been able to enjoy it with me. We could have explored and traversed Great Britain, stopping to take pictures with Big Ben and other tourist sites! Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be, and we never arrived. It's a shame. I was really looking forward to it.

They had said it was just turbulence, but I remember the thunderous roar of the engines; I remember the way they sputtered, and coughed, and wheezed as something went wrong in maintaining the plane's equilibrium. The crew attempted to keep us calm, but it was obvious that something was not right. The mysterious storm that had appeared must have been taking a large toll on the plane's systems.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. Please remain calm. The turbulence is turning out to be a bit rougher than we had initially thought. We're going to have to perform an emergency landing. Please stay calm. Everything will be okay. Please fasten your seat belts, if you are not already wearing them from our first announcement. If you can not do that for any reason, please ask one of the flight attendants for help. Thank you." That voice still echoed through my ears, even now. It was spine chilling. I couldn't have thought of any words worse than that to hear at that moment. No one ever wants to be part of an emergency landing.

The lights above our heads, which illuminated the aircraft, suddenly went dim. Then, the frenzied flickering started; on and off, on and off, on and off! They violently signaled their deaths in a rapid succession of dark and light, like giant fireflies performing an ornate mating ritual, and cut out to complete and utter… blackness. I had gripped tightly onto the arms of my seat in a panic, and I slowly clawed into the fabric as my heart began pounding faster and faster. I was scared that it would either burst out of my chest or simply stop beating altogether before we even touched down. I darted my head to the side and watched as mothers clung to their children and whispered words of comfort, when they themselves needed such words even more. I watched an older gentleman hugging his wife tightly as she sobbed into his shoulder. I watched a young flight attendant grasp desperately for something to hold onto as the plane began its nose dive. They were all so helpless; so fragile, and so… so very afraid.

A loud screeching sound had pierced through the chaos surrounding me and brought silence to everyone onboard. The engine on the left wing was failing. I had peered out of my window seat in shock as the horrific power of the winds, rain, and hail not only helped cut the thrust to the engine, but incredibly damage it in the process. Thick black smoke began to bellow out of the rear of the engine, and flames spewed out and licked at the wing. The engine let out a demonic scream and exploded, sending shards of shrapnel flying out at the body of the plane. I looked on in mortification as a large chunk of metallic debris crashed through one of the thick windows several rows in front of me, and the cabin began to rapidly decompress. The plane jerked erratically and tilted itself into an even steeper slope. Suddenly, wails for help and pleas for God to keep us alive filled the air. So helpless.

I had gasped as I witnessed the flight attendants' cart rip down the aisle of our class, knocking up a gust of wind as it rushed by. The cart smashed straight into a man trying to get back to his seat from the restroom and hurled him against a class partition, effectively pinning him to the wall. The man had cried out in pain; he most likely bruised and broke a few ribs. I remember wincing and looking up in alarm as something dropped from the ceiling in front of me. Upon studying it closer in the scarce light, I realized that it was an oxygen mask.

That was when it happened; lightning flashed outside and the right engine erupted into a hellish inferno, causing the airliner to lurch forward immediately, nearly taking it vertical. Hats flipped off of heads and whizzed by through the air. Someone without a seatbelt on stumbled out of his seat and was tossed down the aisle, landing against the cart that held the man from earlier to the wall. My little brother, who was sitting next to me, took ahold of my arm and squeezed it for comfort.

"Danny, I'm scared." he said.

"I know, Vinnie. I know. It'll be okay." I told him. I wasn't sure exactly what else to say to keep him calm. I was no better at this or any more prepared than those poor mothers. My parents must have been so worried about us right then, from their seats in the back. I drew in a deep breath and tried to relax myself. My eardrums ached from the shrieks of terror, my hands were sore from clutching the arm rest so tightly, my eyes were strained from the darkness, and my face was flush and covered in my tears. It didn't work. I was going to die. We were ALL going to die. My life really did flash before my eyes right then, and I wasn't very religious, but I prayed. I prayed for God to help me. I was only fourteen, and I had so much I still wanted to do. I had never experienced my first kiss, or had a boyfriend, or started high school, among many other things. I wasn't ready for death, and I didn't think the people around me deserved it yet either.

We were so… so very helpless.