35 Miles from Shore: The Ditching and Rescue of ALM Flight 980

By Emilio Corsetti III

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Odyssey Publishing, LLC
• Release date: Apr 1, 2008
• ISBN: 9780977897148

Reviews for 35 Miles from Shore

[jtlauderdale · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Almost 40 years after the event, Emilio Corsetti III tracks down what happened to bring down a DC-9 flying to a Caribbean island. There are, of course, differences of opinion but after reading this it seems to me that the plane was allowed to fly with too small an amount of fuel to cope with any complications along the way. With deteriorating weather and a malfunctioning fuel guage, they did run into complications. It turned out that there were other problems--a nonworking PA system, a crew not trained in safety procedures on this particular model of aircraft, life vests that didn't work as well as one would wish. And those life vests are still the standard so many years later. The writing style is a bit simplistic but the story keeps moving. Thanks to those rescuers who risked themselves to save the majority of the people aboard.

[marshapetry · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Nothing stellar but a good, clear - written story about an airplane crash. If you enjoy that genre, recommend.Audiobook note :excellent narrator

[katlb82 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ok ok, fear of flying girl reads a book about an airplane crash. Smart move. I don’t even remember when or where I brought this book, but when I was looking for my next book to read I decided to start at the top, alphabetically, of my TBR and this is where I ended up. 35 Miles from Shore is, naturally, heavy on aviation industry speak, and contains a lot of information on the plane, the airline and the bodies responsible for regulating the industry. However, this is to be completely expected, and is not overly dry in facts and figures and airplane-yabber. The telling of the events leading up to the crash, the rescue and the aftermath are riveting reading, with a particular focus on the airline staff and certain key passengers. The subsequent investigation, conclusions and recommendations also make for interesting, if slightly disturbing reading. 35 Miles from Shore is well written and engaging, with the history of the airlines involved and other examples of air-disasters that have occurred before and since the ditching of flight ALM 980. Don’t read this before you fly (especially if you are going to be flying over open water!), but if you have an interest in survival, disasters or flying, there’s something in 35 Miles from Shore for you.