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| 35 Miles from Shore: The Ditching and Rescue of ALM Flight 980 | 
 enlarge | List Price: $14.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (based on 10 reviews)
Sales Rank: 111565
Category: Book
Author: Emilio Corsetti Iii
Publisher: Odyssey Publishing
Studio: Odyssey Publishing
Manufacturer: Odyssey Publishing
Label: Odyssey Publishing
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9
ISBN: 0977897109
Dewey Decimal Number: 363.124650972922
EAN: 9780977897100
ASIN: 0977897109
Publication Date: April 28, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 A must read for those in aviation August 20, 2008
Being a resident of Curacao myself, and thus very familiar with this incident, I was really glad when this book came out. Very few people know about the ditching of ALM 980, and I hope this book will change this fact.
Very detailed and written on a personal level. the book does not give you the feeling of being isolated from the events happening, and never spins the situation in a way that would make it hard to follow.
I most certainly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in aviation, or just would like to know about a very little known fact of history.
A Fiction Reader Learns that Non-Fiction Can be Interesting Too August 13, 2008
I'm not generally a non-fiction reader. I much prefer crime thrillers and Stephen King novels, and the occasional biography (which, let's face it, isn't always 100% non-fiction). However, when I started to read 35 Miles From Shore, I was immediately sucked in. The book tells the story of the only recorded open water ditching of a commercial jet. ALM Flight 980 landed in the waters of the Caribbean after running out of fuel. The author takes an interesting approach in not only describing the details of the doomed flight and its passengers, but also giving background on the chain of events that led up to the tragedy. Not only does it make for a more interesting story, but it gave the book a uniquely human element that I would imagine isn't often present in books about disasters.
The book opens by explaining that most accidents aren't a freak occurrence but rather the end of an unfortunate chain of events. In the case of ALM Flight 980, this is especially true. The author covers the choices made by the airlines, the crew, and the air traffic controllers on the ground that added to the inevitable end result. From the secondary fuel tank that was never added to the plane to the last second decision to head for their alternate landing destination due to bad weather, the author painstakingly researched every available detail about the flight and the events leading to the disaster.
In the process of revealing all the events that may or may not have contributed to the crash, we learn about all the people involved. We learn about the passengers, the crew, and even the rescuers. Reading about why each passenger was on the flight (last vacation before having a baby, returning home, business, etc.) really brought the story to life. Knowing that the author interviewed most of these people directly reminds the reader that this tragic story really happened.
One note about the endnotes in the Kindle version of the book - they work wonderfully. Typically when you read a book with annotations, they are either at the bottom of the page or at the end of the book. I typically dislike reading books where the notes are at the end because that means I have to stop reading and find the right annotation at the back of the book. However, in 35 Miles From Shore, all you have to do is use the scroll wheel to click on the line with the number and then choose the number from the menu. It takes you directly to the appropriate annotation, and simply hitting the back button brings you back to your place in the book. The only problem I found with this - and it's a small one - is that the asterisk-marked pieces often land in the middle of paragraphs. However, once you've realized this, it's easier to read around them.
I truly enjoyed the book. It was a fast read, unbelievably well-researched, and extremely interesting. Even if you're not much of a non-fiction reader, this is an entertaining book that can capture your attention just as easily as a novel.
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Great Aviation Non-fiction! July 30, 2008
Emilio Corsetti has done a great job of researching this accident and has written a rivetting account of the events. It is a great read for an aviation professional or anyone looking for real-life drama.
 Powerful telling of this true story July 18, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Imagine it's May 2, 1970, and you're departing JFK en route to the tropical island of St. Maarten on a DC-9 jet with fifty-six other passengers and six crewmembers.
The forecast includes a chance of thunderstorms, but because of the experienced captain and crew, you're not alarmed. The thunderstorms grow in intensity until, at four hours and thirty-four minutes of flight time, the plane's fuel reserves are depleted.
You barely get your life vest on...wham, the plane, still traveling one hundred miles an hour, hits the angry sea, slamming people and debris into the aisles. Screams fill the air as water rises around your ankles. Dazed, you manage to get free and are shoved out an open hatch. Sea water closes over your head. Panic gives you strength to pull the tabs that inflate your vest and shoots you up to the turbulent surface.
Fellow passengers, many injured and bleeding, bob like bright-orange fishing lures around you, however there's no sign of a life raft, only the inflatable escape slide, which holds three people. Belts are tied to the slide's handles to hang on to, but hypothermia will soon take its toll, or sharks will be drawn by the injured and dead.
The plane slips under the sea leaving forty souls clinging to life. The closest help is two hours away. Once the first rescuers arrive, fifteen-foot swells impede their valiant efforts to save the crash victims.
Hopefully that exercise helped you envision the heart of this non-fiction story. The author has included tons of in-depth research that define the mistakes, the aircraft, and the many individuals involved in this catastrophe. I found the weighty amount of narrative details overshadowed the humanity of the story and made for a laborious read.
However, if you are a pilot or have a love of commercial flying, this book's detailed behind-the-scenes information may intrigue you. I give it 4 stars.
Armchair Interviews says: This story brings you into that event very clearly.
This is a great read May 23, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This true story about a jet ditching is a riveting read. Corsetti is able to tell the reader what happened in a clear, concise manner. Even with all the technical parts of flying an airplane, Corsetti made it easy to understand. I found his end notes and his bottom of the page notes very helpful in furthering my understanding as to what was happening.
The most intense part for me was the crash and the rescue. I saw and felt the chaos that had developed when the crew and passengers realized that they had to ditch the plane. The frustration of looking for the life vest under the seats and trying to get them to fit properly. The anxiety of trying to retrieve a life raft and it being accidentally inflated by a passenger inside the plane and then the stewards were unable to get it out of the plane.
After I finished reading the book I thought WOW!! I am so glad that I read this book. If you like true survival books or even if you don't; this book is worth the read. If you want to know more definitely read this book.
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