Synopsis

On the afternoon of December 28, 1978, the crew of United Airlines Flight 173 wrestled with a malfunctioning landing gear as the aircraft circled above Portland, Oregon, awaiting clearance to land. With dwindling fuel reserves, the plane crashed in a lightly populated area, resulting in ten fatalities and serious injuries for twenty-four of the one hundred and eighty-nine people aboard. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the pilot had disregarded warnings from the rest of