COVER ART BY LUKAS KETNER
On December 28, 1978, United Airlines Flight 173 ran out of fuel over Portland and crashed. The massive airliner set down at East Burnside and 157th and plowed through the streets of what is now East Portland, shredding itself apart as it skidded over concrete. Ten people died, more were injured, and the subsequent legal battle changed the course of commercial flight in America.
In Crash Course, Portland journalist Julie Whipple explores the causes of the crash: Why didn’t the landing gear deploy properly? How could a commercial flight run out of fuel? Why wasn’t the captain aware of the state his aircraft was in? Why did 10 people have to die?
