Fuselage Cracks Open as Jetliner Has Hard Landing
The fuselage of an Eastern Airlines DC-9 carrying 104 people cracked open when it made a hard landing, and three people suffered minor injuries, officials said today.
The 99 passengers and five-member crew of Flight 573 were evacuated through chutes at Pensacola Regional Airport shortly after the landing at 11:40 p.m. Sunday, said Jack Barker of the Federal Aviation Administration in Atlanta.
“I thought it would crash and burn,” said passenger Tyrone Taylor. “I knew we were coming (down) too fast. We hit real hard.”
The fuselage cracked open behind the jet’s 21st row, said local television reporter Hope Buffington. “You can see inside it.”
The jet skidded the length of the 7,000-foot runway. It landed in rain and fog, and visibility was only two miles, Barker said, but he said he was not sure if weather was a factor in the hard landing.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
