HEROISM WATCH : True Crew

On the evidence available so far, at about 5:42 p.m. Thursday at JFK Airport in New York City, the crew of Trans World Airlines Flight 843 did a most extraordinary job.

When a sudden and mysterious fire flared up in the rear of the L-1011 jetliner during takeoff, the pilot executed remarkable aeronautical contortions to land the plane out of harm’s way. And when all the hysterical shouting and fearful crying had ended, when the tumultuous evacuation was over--after the pilot had somehow gotten the plane to a stop and firefighters had arrived to do their usual heroics--not a single life among the 292 passengers had been lost and only several dozen minor injuries had been suffered.

All through the drama the TWA crew members kept cool and kept everyone moving in the right direction. They drew on all their training and experience and showed steely poise under fire.

Perhaps this is not so remarkable after all. Airline crews almost never get their full due. Attendants are hard-working and pleasant under the most trying circumstances: Babies won’t stop bawling, someone always wants just one more drink, jittery first-time fliers need constant reassurance, there’s not an empty seat in the house, restroom lines stretch through the aisles and the turbulence just won’t stop.

It’s fortunate that airline crews are almost never called on to perform the kind of heroics that their TWA colleagues had to on Thursday. But as far as overlooked and underpraised workers in America go, put airline crews near the top of our list.