Early Access - ALM Flight 980 (still working on a catchy title) (Patreon)

Some Went Down With The Plane - The Extraordinary Tale of ALM Flight 980

References and Additional Notes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/18Lw5FZykDuml8rovkkFPH6195_OaAD5hi4JJo_aP4hM/ Emilio Corsetti's "35 Miles From Shore": https://www.amazon.com/dp/0977897109/?bestFormat=true&k=35%20miles%20from%20shore&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-pd-bk-d_de_k0_1_16&crid=19FMDCFGRDDA8&sprefix=35%20miles%20from%20sh Join my Patreon to support the channel further. All Patrons get Early Access to all new videos before they go out publicly: https://www.patreon.com/c/DisasterBreakdown Twitter: https://x.com/Chloe_HowieCB BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/chloehowie.bsky.social Chapters 00:00 Intro 02:21 ONA and ALM 09:34 Enroute 20:51 Missed Approaches 25:16 Ditching 36:57 Post Ditching and Rescue 49:06 Aftermath The waves crash ashore a tropical Caribbean Island. The sand is soft and golden, the water crystal clear, gleaming in the shimmers of sunlight. The water hides the sea’s mysteries and stories far beneath the waves. Though the sound of the waves are accompanied by the noticeable roar of jet engines. The distant whining of airplanes growing louder as they approach, passing just meters overhead. The Caribbean Island of Saint Maarten is a unique place. Not only is the island shared between two European nations that otherwise would not share a border, but the island is also served by one of the most interesting airports in the entire world. Princess Juliana International Airport has for the longest time sustained quite the reputation for its low flybys over the beach nearby to the foot of the Runway. Situated geographically in the west of the island on the Dutch Side, this runway stares off into hillside to the East and the Caribbean Sea to the West. It is perhaps the most iconic approach in aviation today as tourists are pulled from all over the world to gaze at passenger planes coming within meters overhead whilst also enjoying the lovely warm weather and beautiful beaches of the Caribbean. However, the weather itself does have a tendency here to be unkind from time to time. The chaotic weather of the tropics can be a problem for pilots trying to land here. You can stand on that beach, staring off into the Caribbean Sea, and only wonder what stories it holds. Well, this is one of them. In 1970 the crew of a Douglas DC9 struggled in awful stormy weather trying to land at Sint Maarten. They tried again, again and again but were no closer to the safety of a runway. Out of options the turn out over the sea, making a break for the next nearest airport. But that, they couldn’t quite make it. Let’s rewind, for you see my viewer; to begin with this tale, we must travel back to 1970… #aviation