"A richly detailed story that is equal parts heartbreaking, inspiring…and full of fascinating science…masterful." —San Francisco Chronicle As hundreds of rescue workers waited on the ground, United Airlines Flight 232 wallowed drunkenly over the bluffs northwest of Sioux City. The plane slammed onto the runway and burst into a vast fireball. The rescuers didn't move at first: nobody could possibly survive that crash. And then people began emerging from the summer corn that lined the runways. Miraculously, 184 of 296 passengers lived. No one has ever attempted the complete reconstruction of a crash of this magnitude. Drawing on interviews with hundreds of survivors, crew, and airport and rescue personnel, Laurence Gonzales, a commercial pilot himself, captures, minute by minute, the harrowing journey of pilots flying a plane with no controls and flight attendants keeping their calm in the face of certain death. He plumbs the hearts and minds of passengers as they pray, bargain with God, plot their strategies for survival, and sacrifice themselves to save others. Ultimately he takes us, step by step, through the gripping scientific detective work in super-secret labs to dive into the heart of a flaw smaller than a grain of rice that shows what brought the aircraft down. An unforgettable drama of the triumph of heroism over tragedy and human ingenuity over technological breakdown, Flight 232 is a masterpiece in the tradition of the greatest aviation stories ever told.
This is the story of the United Airlines Flight 232 disaster as told by Jerry Schemmel, including his struggle with the death of his best friend (in the crash) and with the rest of the aftermath of the tragedy, and the meaning he has found for his life as a survivor of the crash.
Improve your company's ability to avoid or manage crises Managing the Unexpected, Third Edition is a thoroughly revised text that offers an updated look at the groundbreaking ideas explored in the first and second editions. Revised to reflect events emblematic of the unique challenges that organizations have faced in recent years, including bank failures, intelligence failures, quality failures, and other organizational misfortunes, often sparked by organizational actions, this critical book focuses on why some organizations are better able to sustain high performance in the face of unanticipated change. High reliability organizations (HROs), including commercial aviation, emergency rooms, aircraft carrier flight operations, and firefighting units, are looked to as models of exceptional organizational preparedness. This essential text explains the development of unexpected events and guides you in improving your organization for more reliable performance. "Expect the unexpected" is a popular mantra for a reason: it's rooted in experience. Since the dawn of civilization, organizations have been rocked by natural disasters, civil unrest, international conflict, and other unexpected crises that impact their ability to function. Understanding how to maintain function when catastrophe strikes is key to keeping your organization afloat. Explore the many different kinds of unexpected events that your organization may face Consider updated case studies and research Discuss how highly reliable organizations are able to maintain control during unexpected events Discover tactics that may bolster your organization's ability to face the unexpected with confidence Managing the Unexpected, Third Edition offers updated, valuable content to professionals who want to strengthen the preparedness of their organizations—and confidently face unexpected challenges.
"When a pilots sends a "mayday" message, it means there is serious trouble. Discover the fascinating, true tales of Sully Sullenberger, the passengers of United Airlines Flight 232, and other survivors who experienced terrifying airplane disasters and made it out alive." --
Margo Siple was a passenger in seat 19C on the infamous flight of United Airlines Flight 232, flying from Denver to Chicago on July 19, 1989. One hour and seven minutes into the flight, the number 2 engine on the DC-10 exploded, causing complete hydraulic failure. Hydraulics in an aircraft is like the blood in your body--it is essential to have in order to stay alive and function. After forty minutes of trying to fly an uncontrollable jumbo jet, using just manual engine thrust, the cockpit crew maneuvered the aircraft to within inches of a possible landing in Sioux City, Iowa. It was not to be. At the last minute, the plane slammed into the runway, then cartwheeling, as it was engulfed in flames, it seemed to explode with large pieces of the aircraft breaking off and being strewn along the runway. The cockpit and the tail section of the aircraft had completely separated from the main fuselage, while part of the main fuselage continued to tumble and travel at least 3/4 mile before coming to a stop upside down in the cornfield. With 296 souls on board, which included the flight crew, Margo was one of a very few who survived the crash without a scratch on her, while others were horribly injured or perished. Passenger 19C is the story of Margo Siple's experience on the crippled aircraft, her survival, and the aftermath that changed her life, as well as other significant events that happened to her before and after the airline crash in which the adversity she faced challenged her and her faith numerous times. It is a book about surviving the multitude of adversities that we are all faced with during our lives so that we can apply our life lessons to each and every day that we are blessed with. There was no other person in Margo's shoes on Flight 232, in seat 19C, just as there is no other person in the world that can tell your personal story. We are all significant and unique. 158
“Elegant and simple. It’s a teacher’s best companion―a lesson plan for teaching the theory of performance.” ―Adm. John Richardson (ret.), from his foreword to the book “This book is a must-read that deeply informs leaders on how to create great systems for outstanding performance and to win.” ―Jeffrey K. Liker, PhD, author of The Toyota Way, 2nd edition Forget vision, grit, or culture. Wiring the Winning Organization reveals the hidden circuitry that drives organizational excellence. Drawing on decades of meticulous research of high-performing organizations and cross-population surveys of tens of thousands of employees, award-winning authors Gene Kim and Dr. Steven J. Spear introduce a groundbreaking new theory of organizational management. Organizations win by using three mechanisms to slowify, simplify, and amplify, which systematically moves problem-solving from high-risk danger zones to low-risk winning zones. Wiring the Winning Organization shines an investigative light on some of the most famous organizations, including Toyota, Amazon, Apple, and NASA, revealing how leaders create the social wiring that enables exceptional results. This is not feel-good inspiration or armchair philosophy but a data-driven prescriptive playbook for creating excellence grounded in real-world results and proven theory. This is the rare business book that delivers concrete tools―not platitudes―to convert mediocrity into mastery. “All organizations, large and small, public and private, are overwhelmed by complexity, multiple priorities, conflicting goals, shifting landscapes, and constrained resources. Kim and Spear lay out an amazing vision of the social circuitry for organizations to not only handle this but thrive while doing so.” ―Phil Venables, Chief Information Security Officer, Google Cloud; former Board Director, Goldman Sachs Bank “This book clearly teaches you how to rewire your organization to move with focused, sustained urgency and win!” ―Courtney Kissler, SVP Customer and Retail Technology, Starbucks “In a world where complexity is the norm, Kim and Spear provide the essential guide for those in need of a compass for the maze of today’s business environment.” ―David Silverman, CEO of CrossLead, co-author of Team of Teams