35 Miles from Shore: The Ditching and Rescue of ALM Flight 980

Emilio Corsetti, III

Apr 2008 · Odyssey Publishing, LLC

About this ebook

On May 2, 1970, a DC-9 jet with 57 passengers and a crew of six departed from New York's JFK International Airport en route to the tropical island of St. Maarten, but four hours and 34 minutes later the flight ended in the shark-infested waters of the Caribbean. It was, and remains, the only open-water ditching of a commercial jet. The subsequent rescue of survivors took nearly three hours and involved the coast guard, navy, and marines. This gripping account of that fateful day recounts what was happening inside the cabin, the cockpit, and the helicopters as the crews struggled against the weather and dwindling daylight to rescue the survivors, who had only their life vests and a lone escape chute to keep them afloat.

Ratings and reviews

My Uncle was one of the recue team, he went into the water and brought up survivors. His name's Wm Brazzell (Bill). He was in the Navy stationed in Puerto Rico and recieved Presidential award. He's Awesome!

Very interesting, a good read

About the author

Emilio Corsetti III is a professional pilot and author whose work has appeared in publications such as the Chicago Tribune, Multimedia Producer, and Professional Pilot magazine. He lives in Lake St. Louis, Missouri.