Synopsis

On April 4, 1977, Southern Airways Flight 242, en route from Huntsville, Alabama, to Atlanta, Georgia, encountered a severe thunderstorm and was struck by large hail. The engines of the DC-9-31 failed simultaneously, forcing an emergency landing on a highway in New Hope, Paulding County, Georgia. During the landing, the aircraft collided with a gas station, resulting in an explosion that claimed the lives of 62 people aboard and eight on the ground. A further two individuals perished later from