Inviting Disaster, 25 Years On

 In the small Nebraska town of Lewellen, there's a restaurant and art gallery named The Most Unlikely Place. And it really is a surprising find in such a tiny town. 

I thought of the cafe and its improbable name earlier this month when attending a dinner meeting of the Minnesota Geological Society. I talked with the fellow named Roger sitting next to me, also retired, and we shared stories about our work lives. 

I mentioned I'd been writing nonfiction since 1979, including my book on techno-disasters and close calls. He asked which cases were included in Inviting Disaster and I rattled off a few, ending with the near-destruction of American Airlines Flight 96 in June 1972, a DC-10 jumbo jet saved by the remarkable skill and foresight of the captain, Bryce McCormick. (photo: Ken Haynes collection)

McCormick had anticipated loss of flight controls three months before, when training on the airline's DC-10 flight simulator in Fort Worth. He'd stayed late to train on how to steer the plane with just the throttles. 

Then, when a cargo door blew out over Windsor, Ontario, taking out most of the controls, McCormick was able to nurse the plane to a safe landing in Detroit. 

To my astonishment, Roger said he'd been a passenger on that flight. It was such an unlikely meeting, so coincidental, that it inspired me to gather thoughts about lessons I've drawn from 25 years of lectures, opeds, and interviews that followed the publication of Inviting Disaster. So stay tuned for that!