Freefall : A True Story by William Hoffer & Marilyn Mona Hiffer (Hardcover) Old Book

Book Description

Freefall: A True Story by William Hoffer and Marilyn Mona Hoffer is a gripping account of one of the most extraordinary incidents in commercial aviation history—the near-disastrous loss of power aboard Air Canada Flight 143, famously known as the Gimli Glider incident.

On July 23, 1983, a Boeing 767 carrying 61 passengers and its crew was flying at an altitude of 41,000 feet when both engines suddenly stopped because the aircraft had run out of fuel. A combination of fuel-calculation errors and technical problems had turned an ordinary commercial flight into a terrifying struggle for survival.

With no engine power and severely limited electrical systems, Captain Bob Pearson and First Officer Maurice Quintal faced the seemingly impossible challenge of controlling and landing the enormous aircraft. Through remarkable flying skills, quick thinking and extraordinary composure, they managed to glide the powerless jet to an emergency landing at a disused Royal Canadian Air Force base in Gimli, Manitoba, saving everyone aboard.

Drawing on accounts from the pilots, cabin crew, passengers, air traffic controllers and ground personnel, the authors reconstruct the dramatic events and the intense emotions experienced during those critical minutes. The book also examines the technical failures, human errors and questions of aviation safety surrounding the incident.

Written with the suspense of a thriller but grounded in real events, Freefall is a fascinating story of courage, teamwork, human ingenuity and survival against seemingly impossible odds. It is an engrossing read for anyone interested in aviation, true-life adventures and extraordinary stories of human endurance.