From 'The Untold Past' FB page
I remember watching this DC10 cartwheeling down an Iowa runway, and thanking God I didn't have to fly (for my job) that week :

An airplane lost every flight control at 37,000 feet.

Most pilots believed survival was impossible.

Captain Al Haynes tried to land it anyway.

On July 19, 1989, United Airlines Flight 232, a DC 10 flying from Denver to Chicago, suddenly suffered a catastrophic failure. The aircraft's tail engine exploded, sending shrapnel through the plane.

Within seconds, all three hydraulic systems were destroyed.

That meant the pilots lost control of the rudder, elevators, and ailerons.

The aircraft could no longer properly steer.

It could barely descend.

Aviation experts later said an aircraft in that condition should not have been able to land.

But Captain Al Haynes and his crew refused to give up.

They discovered the only way to control the aircraft was by adjusting the power of the remaining two engines. By increasing thrust on one engine and reducing it on the other, they could slowly guide the plane.

For nearly 45 terrifying minutes, the crew fought to steer the crippled aircraft toward Sioux City, Iowa.

The plane rolled violently.

The descent was unstable.

Haynes knew the landing would be catastrophic.

Still, he lined up with the runway.

When the plane touched down, it slammed into the ground, broke apart, and erupted into flames.

But something incredible happened.

185 people survived.

Investigators later concluded that the calm leadership of Captain Al Haynes and the teamwork in the cockpit made survival possible.

Story based on historical records. This post is for educational purposes.